Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,7, University of Münster (Englisches Seminar), course: American English, language: English, abstract: This paper describes an analysis of the Eastern New England dialect with concentration on the features of non-rhoticity and broad a. It examines the results by comparing the speakers’ levels of non-rhoticity and broad a to the factor of their gender. On the one hand, I decided to examine the features of non-rhoticity and broad a, because these features are most prominent for this particular dialect of American English. “Two major New England shibboleths are the “dropping” of post-vocalic r(as in [ka:] car and [ba:n] barn) and the low central vowel [ɑː] in the BATH class, words like aunt and glass.” (Carver, 1987: 21) On the other hand, I have recognized that there is a lack of examination of the mentioned features especially with regard to the speakers’ gender and if these results would be conform with the sociolinguistic statement of women showing a stronger tendency towards standard or prestige variants in their speech communities. (Schönweitz, 2001: 2) As the basis of this analysis I decided to use speech data of the two main characters of the American television series Family Guy, which is known for being presented in the typical Eastern New England (ENE) dialect. The structure of my paper is divided into the following sections: an overview of the topic as well as the two features under examination, a description of the methodology used in this study and a section of the results which will take a look at my findings. Afterwards, a conclusion follows with implications on further research.

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,7, University of Münster (Englisches Seminar), course: American English, language: English, abstract: This paper describes an analysis of the Eastern New England dialect with concentration on the features of non-rhoticity and broad a. It examines the results by comparing the speakers' levels of non-rhoticity and broad a to the factor of their gender. On the one hand, I decided to examine the features of non-rhoticity and broad a, because these features are most prominent for this particular dialect of American English. "Two major New England shibboleths are the "dropping" of post-vocalic r(as in [ka: ] car and [ba: n] barn) and the low central vowel [ɑː] in the BATH class, words like aunt and glass." (Carver, 1987: 21) On the other hand, I have recognized that there is a lack of examination of the mentioned features especially with regard to the speakers' gender and if these results would be conform with the sociolinguistic statement of women showing a stronger tendency towards standard or prestige variants in their speech communities. (Schönweitz, 2001: 2) As the basis of this analysis I decided to use speech data of the two main characters of the American television series Family Guy, which is known for being presented in the typical Eastern New England (ENE) dialect. The structure of my paper is divided into the following sections: an overview of the topic as well as the two features under examination, a description of the methodology used in this study and a section of the results which will take a look at my findings. Afterwards, a conclusion follows with implications on further research.

This book looks at native speaker varieties of English, considering how and why they differ in terms of their pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and spelling. It shows how the major national varieties of English have developed, why similar causes have given rise to different effects in different parts of the world, and how the same problems of description arise in relation to all 'colonial' Englishes.It covers varieties of English spoken in Britain, the USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Falkland Islands.Key FeaturesIntroductory text, presupposes a minimum of previous knowledgeFocuses on common traits rather than on individual varietiesInformed by latest research on dialect mixingExercises included with each chapterReferences for further reading in each chapter

The Atlas of North American English provides the first overall view of the pronunciation and vowel systems of the dialects of the U.S. and Canada. The Atlas re-defines the regional dialects of American English on the basis of sound changes active in the 1990s and draws new boundaries reflecting those changes. It is based on a telephone survey of 762 local speakers, representing all the urbanized areas of North America. It has been developed by Bill Labov, one of the leading sociolinguists of the world, together with his colleagues Sharon Ash and Charles Boberg. The Atlas consists of a printed volume accompanied by an interactive CD-ROM. The print and multimedia content is also available online. Combined Edition: Book and Multimedia CD-ROM The book contains 23 chapters that re-define the geographic boundaries of North American dialects and trace the influence of gender, age, education, and city size on the progress of sound change; findings that show a dramatic and increasing divergence of English in North America; 139 four color maps that illustrate the regional distribution of phonological and phonetic variables across the North American continent; 120 four color vowel charts of individual speakers. The multimedia CD-ROM supplements the articles and maps by providing a data base with measurements of more than 100,000 vowels and mean values for 439 speakers; the Plotnik program for mapping each of the individual vowel systems; extended sound samples of all North American dialects; multimedia applications to enhance classroom presentations. Online Version: Book and CD-ROM content plus additional data The online version comprises the contents of the book and the multimedia CD-ROM along with additional data. It presents a wider selection of data, maps, and audio samples that will be recurrently updated; proffers simultaneous access to the information contained in the book and on the multimedia CD-ROM to all users in the university/library network; provides students with easy access to research material for classroom assignments. For more information, please contact Mouton de Gruyter: [email protected] System Requirements for CD-ROM and Online Version Windows PC: Pentium PC, Windows 9x, NT, or XP, at least 16MB RAM, CD-ROM Drive, 16 Bit Soundcard, SVGA (600 x 800 resolution) Apple MAC: OS 6 or higher, 16 Bit Soundcard, at least 16MB RAM Supported Browsers: Internet Explorer, 5.5 or 6 (Mac OS: Internet Explorer 5.1)/Netscape 7.x or higher/Mozilla 1.0 or higher/Mozilla Firefox 1.0 or higher PlugIns: Macromedia Flash Player 6/Acrobat Reader

Written in a detailed and fascinating manner, this book is ideal for general readers interested in the English language.

The Oxford Companion to the English Language provides an authoritative single-volume source of information about the English language. It is intended both for reference and for browsing. The first edition of this landmark Companion, published in 1998, adopted a strong international perspective, covering topics from Cockney to Creole, Aboriginal English to Caribbean English and a historical range from Chaucer to Chomsky, Latin to the World Wide Web. It succinctly described and discussed the English language at the end of the twentieth century, including its distribution and varieties, its cultural, political, and educational impact worldwide, its nature, origins, and prospects, and its pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, word-formation, and usage. This new edition notably focuses on World Englishes, English language teaching, English as an international language, and the effect of technological advances on the English language. More than 130 new entries include African American English, British Sign Language, China English, digital literacy, multimodality, social networking, superdiversity, and text messaging, among many others. It also includes new biographical entries on key individuals who have had an impact on the English language in recent decades, including Beryl (Sue) Atkins, Adam Kilgariff, and John Sinclair. It is an invaluable reference for English Language students, and fascinating reading for any general reader with an interest in language.

Combining coverage of the key concepts and tools within phonetics and phonology with a systematic introduction to Praat, this textbook provides a lively and engaging 'way in' to the discipline. The author first covers the fundamentals of the articulatory and acoustic aspects of speech and introduces Praat as the main tool for examining and visualising speech. Next, the unit of analysis is gradually expanded (from syllables to words to turns and dialogues) and excerpts of real dialogues exemplify the core concepts for discovering how speech works. The final part of the book brings all the concepts and notions together with commentaries to the transcription of several short excerpts of dialogues. This book will be essential reading for students on undergraduate courses in phonetics and phonology.

From Sanskrit to Scouse, this book provides a single-volume source of information about the English language. The guide is intended both for reference and and for browsing. The international perspective takes in language from Cockney to Creole, Aboriginal English to Zummerzet, Estuary English to Caribbean English and a historical range from Beowulf to Ebonics, Chaucer to Chomsky, Latin to the World Wide Web. There is coverage of a wide range of topics from abbreviation to Zeugma, Shakespeare to split infinitive and substantial entries on key subjects such as African English, etymology, imperialism, pidgin, poetry, psycholinguistics and slang. Box features include pieces on place-names, the evolution of the alphabet, the story of OK, borrowings into English, and the Internet. Invaluable reference for English Language students, and fascinating reading for the general reader with an interest in language.

A collection of studies on the role of English in German-speaking countries, covering a broad range of topics.

This volume is the first handbook dedicated to language attrition, the study of how a speaker's language may be affected by crosslinguistic interference and non-use. Topics covered include theoretical implications, psycho- and neurolinguistic approaches, linguistic and extralinguistic factors, L2 attrition, and heritage languages.