Standard English variation

The same sort of technique has been used in the analysis of British accents. In Norwich English it is possible to distinguish three different vowel qualities in words such as pass, part, shaft, bath, card: 1 is the long back vowel [a:] of RP pass or American pot, 2 is an intermediate vowel, and 3 is a front vowel [æ:] similar to the vowel in Australian or eastern New England part.

Generally, the working class speakers have a front vowel in Norwich English, while middle class speakers have a central vowel, but there are still, on average, fine differences of vowel quality, which distinguish one class from another. Many other class differences of the same kind could be cited from almost any area you care to name. In Leeds, England, for example, middle-class speakers tend to have a vowel of the [Λ] type in words such as but, up, fun, while working-class speakers have a higher, rounder vowel, [u]; in London, name, gate, face, etc. are pronounced [naim], or [næim] depending on social class (highest-class form first); in Chicago the vowel of roof, tooth, root is most often [u] but is frequently more centralized [u] in the speech of members of higher social-class groups; and in Boston, Massachusetts, upper-class speakers have [eu] in ago, know, while other speakers have [ou).

In conclusion it is necessary to state the social class differentiation on the language bases meets a sharp criticism in modern linguistics as well as sociology. It is true that there exist social dialects but it is wrong to attach the manner of speaking to the social status of the speakers. Three points are obvious here:

1. Language education status overlaps social ignorance in the way that any native speaker has a chance, if he wishes, to improve his speech and use Standard language. Social media has got a powerful impetus and modern technique to bring up the whole community in politics and language education and it really does all over the world.

2. The speakers of some certain social status chose a variant of the national language intentionally just to mark their social belonging and group identity. Take, for instance, Northern Ireland. Since social and political clashes began the people, especially the young people, began to propagate their native tongue in everyday communication. It doesn’t mean of course that they don’t know Standard English. Quite contrary, they use it and have to do that in official language situations. The same may be said about the Baltic Republics of the former USSR.

3. Social stratification of any nation does not answer the requirements of development and progress, which are in full swing in the word. Who can tell for sure about one’s social status nowadays?

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