Language Variation on Jamaican Radio (Varieties of English Around the World)

✍ Scribed by Michael Westphal

• Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
• Year: 2017
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 275
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This volume presents an in-depth analysis of language variation in Jamaican radio newscasts and talk shows. It explores the interaction of global and local varieties of English with regard to newscasters’ and talk show hosts’ language use and listeners’ attitudes. The book illustrates the benefits of an integrated approach to mass media: the analysis takes into account radio talk and the perception of the audience, it is context-sensitive, paying close attention to variation within and between genres, and it combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to demonstrate the complexity of language in the media. The book contributes to our understanding of the dynamics of World Englishes in the 21st century and endonormative stabilization processes in linguistically heterogeneous postcolonial speech communities, and shows how mass media both challenge and reproduce sociolinguistic stratification. This volume will be relevant for researchers interested in the fields of sociolinguistics, language attitudes, and language in the media.

✦ Table of Contents

Language Variation on Jamaican Radio
Editorial page
Title page
LCC data
Table of contents
Abbreviations
List of tables
List of figures
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction to studying language on Jamaican radio
2. Language in the media
2.1 The mass media and sociolinguistics
2.2 The role(s) of mass media in the speech community
2.3 Approaches to media discourse
2.4 Studies on newscasts and talk radio
2.5 Findings, controversies, and gaps I: Language in the media
3. Jamaican sociolinguistics
3.1 Linguistic complexity in Jamaica
3.2 Shifting focus: From the basilect to the acrolect
3.3 Functional distribution and sociolinguistic changes
3.4 The media as a prime domain of sociolinguistic change
3.5 Findings, controversies, and gaps II: Jamaican sociolinguistics
3.6 Aims and research questions I: Language use
4. Language attitudes
4.1 Defining the multidimensionality of language attitudes
4.2 From language attitudes to language ideologies
4.3 Language attitude research on World Englishes
4.4 Creole and English: Paradoxical ideologies and attitudes
4.5 Attitudes toward Standard Englishes in the anglophone Caribbean
4.6 Findings, controversies, and gaps III: Language attitudes
4.7 Aims and research questions II: Language attitudes
5. Data and methods I
5.1 Collection, selection, and processing of radio data
5.2 Quantitative analysis
5.3 Qualitative analysis
5.4 Variables
5.4.1 Set A: Consonants
Word-initial voiced TH-stopping and Word-initial voiceless TH-stopping
Word-initial H-deletion
Rhoticity
Word-final (-t, -d) consonant clusters
5.4.2 Set B: Diphthongs
GOAT and FACE
5.4.3 Set C: Monophthongs
STRUT
TRAP and BATH
LOT
5.4.4 Additional accent features
6. Language use in Jamaican radio newscasts
6.1 Accent variability among Jamaican newscasters
6.1.1 Variable Set A – newscasts: Consonants
6.1.2 Variable Set B – newscasts: Diphthongs
6.1.3 Variable Set C – newscasts: Monophthongs
6.1.4 Additional accent features – newscasts
6.2 Linguistic variation along segments of Jamaican newscasts
6.2.1 Jingles
6.2.2 Greeting and sign-off sequences
6.2.3 Newsreading
6.2.4 Interviews
6.2.5 Reports
6.2.6 Imported news segments
6.3 Summary: Language use in Jamaican newscasts
7. Language use in Jamaican radio talk shows
7.1 The four talk shows and their hosts
7.2 Variability among the talk show hosts’ baseline styles
7.2.1 Variable Set A – talk shows: Consonants
7.2.2 Variable Set B – talk shows: Diphthongs
7.2.3 Variable Set C – talk shows: Monophthongs
7.2.4 Additional accent features – talk shows
7.2.5 Morpho-syntactic and lexical variation in the baseline styles
7.3 Stylistic variation
7.3.1 Jamaica Speaks with Densil Williams
7.3.2 Hotline with Orville Taylor
7.3.3 Hotline with Barbara Gloudon
7.3.4 Straight Up with Jerry Small
7.4 Summary of language use in Jamaican radio talk shows
8. Data and methods II
8.1 Variety rating study
8.2 Direct questioning
8.3 Folk-linguistic approach
8.4 Fieldwork and informants
8.5 Vocal stimuli
9. Attitudes toward linguistic variation on Jamaican radio
9.1 Results of direct questioning
9.2 Results of variety rating study I – newscasts
9.3 Results of variety rating study II – talk shows
9.4 Results of folk-linguistic interviews
9.5 Linguistic norms of production
9.6 Summary of attitudes toward linguistic variation on Jamaican radio
10. Discussion and conclusion
10.1 Language use in Jamaican radio newscasts
10.1.1 Standard Englishes in newscasts
10.1.2 Sociolinguistic constraints on language use in newscasts
10.1.3 Roles, functions, and social meanings of Standard Englishes and Jamaican Creole in newscasts
10.2 Language use in Jamaican radio talk shows
10.2.1 Inter- and intraspeaker variation between English and Creole in talk shows
10.2.2 Sociolinguistic constraints on language use in talk shows
10.2.3 Roles, functions, and social meanings of English and Creole in talk shows
10.3 Attitudes toward linguistic variation on Jamaican radio
10.3.1 Attitudes toward linguistic variation in Jamaican radio newscasts
10.3.2 Attitudes toward linguistic variation in Jamaican talk radio
10.3.3 Multidimensionality of language attitudes
10.4 The notion of Standard English on Jamaican radio
10.5 Sociolinguistic changes and endonormativity on Jamaican radio
10.6 Destandardization and demotization on Jamaican radio
10.7 The integrated approach to mass media revisited
References
Language use data overview
Excerpts overview
Formulae
Jamaican Radio Survey – rating schemes and direct questions
Subject index