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Programme: accepted abstracts

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Abstract ID: 954

Part of Session 157: Dialect Perceptions in the City (Other abstracts in this session)

Perceived variation in Dublin English

Authors: Lonergan, John David
Submitted by: Lonergan, John David (University College Dublin, Ireland)

Previous research has identified a number of phonetic variables that are sociolinguistically important in Dublin English, but comparatively little is known about the geographic and social distribution of this variation. Similarly, we know little about how this variation is viewed by Dubliners themselves. This paper reports on an attempt to combine perceptual dialectology and phonetic analysis to provide new insights into variation and change in Dublin English.

 

Recent work (Hickey, 2005) argues that Dubliners use either a characteristically local form of English or a rapidly changing 'supraregional' variety. He describes participation in this language change as led by young Dublin women maximising their distinctiveness from the local variety. Hickey describes social class as less important than issues of identity and no area-specific varieties of Dublin English are described. This is in contrast to earlier work by Bertz (1975, 1987), who noted differences between working class communities around the city. In addition, Hickey's (2005) own perceptual work suggests that Dubliners believe that area-specific varieties of Dublin English exist. When asked to mark dialects areas on a blank map of Ireland, a majority of Hickey's Dublin-based respondents divided the city into northern "strong" and "hard" variety and a "posh" southern one.

 

The research to be reported in this paper will further explore Dubliners' perceptions of sociolinguistic variation in the city. Subjects were asked to mark perceived varieties on a map that was limited to the greater Dublin area, allowing more than a simple north-south split. This is the first attempt known to the author to modify Preston's map drawing task for use in a small, densely populated area, and this paper will explore the challenges of processing this data and combining it in graphical form. Subjects also answered open questions about each variety they described and rated them for correctness, pleasantness and degree of difference from their own variety.

 

Early results suggest that the most salient perceived linguistic variety in Dublin is its southeast coast. This is unsurprising given negative media coverage of the 'Dublin 4 accent'. Subjects were surprisingly ambivalent about this perceived variety, however, with very variable marks for pleasantness, but reasonably high marks for correctness. This can be contrasted with a more negatively rated perceived variety spread across much of the rest of the city. These findings, and others, informed the sampling regime of a broader study of Dublin English. This project aims to use a combination of historical data, perceptual dialectology and acoustic research to generate a more detailed description of the social and geographical distribution of variation and change in Dublin English than has previously been attempted. It also aims to provide new insights into the nature of linguistic awareness and ideology in Dublin.

 

References

 

Bertz, S. (1975). Der Dubliner Stadtdialekt. Freiburg: Albert Ludwigs Universitat.

Bertz, S. (1987). Variation in Dublin English. Teanga, 7, 35-53.

Hickey, R. (2005). Dublin English: Evolution and Change. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.