Varieties of English or Scots

Varieties of English or Scots
Using evidence from dialectology studies, describe a particular variety of English or Scots. In your answer you should refer to phonological, lexical and syntactic features. 2. “Speech and writing in Scotland today is the result of a long and complicated history. Broadly speaking, we can argue that part of that history involves contact between two distinct language varieties—Broad Scots and standard Southern English—a contact that eventually created a third variety: Scottish English.” (John Corbett & Christian Kay: Understanding Grammar in Scotland Today) To what extent has the variety of English or Scots you have studied been shaped by “contact between two distinct language varieties”? Topic B—The historical development of English or Scots 3. Describe some of the ways in which either English or Scots has changed within the past 100 years. You may wish to consider the effects of • • • • • the creation of new technology like computers and mobile phones population movement changes in employment patterns increased educational opportunities the spread of mass media.

4. How has the borrowing of words from other languages affected the historical development of either English or Scots? Topic C—Multilingualism in contemporary Scotland. 5. “Scotland has 137 languages spoken by its residents, but many of those languages are often not seen as having cultural or economic value.” To what extent have your studies of multilingualism in contemporary Scotland suggested that only certain languages have “cultural or economic value”? 6. What linguistic features characterise the conversations of multilinguals in contemporary Scotland?

The use of Scots in contemporary literature. For this topic you are provided with three examples of the use of Scots in contemporary literature: Text A is an extract from the prose piece First Confession by Maureen Myant. Text B is the poem Unibike at the Festival by William Neill. Text C is the poem Virus*** by Jackie Kay. Read the texts carefully and answer either Question 7 or Question 8. Text A Extract from First Confession Sister Mary gies me the willies. She’s a right funny face on her. Like a chewed-up caramel, my mammy says. Sometimes it’s aw smooth an sleekit, but. Like when she talks tae Father Maloney. Maloney Baloney we calls him. So ah canny believe it when, right in the middle of RE, ah puts my hand up and says, “Please Miss, what about 5 number six.” Ah must be barmy, shoutin out in the middle of a lesson an callin her ‘Miss’ instead of ‘Sister’ like she aye tells us. When Mental Mickey done that, he ended up peein hissel she was that mad. Ah look down at my desk. It’s clatty. There’s some words scratched on the wood an ah try an read them: “SiSTr MaRy eATs BaBys.” Ah 10 wonder if she eats aulder weans an all. “Ah yes, Patricia, the Sixth Commandment. Well, number six is a very important commandment and if you break it, it is a mortal sin.” Her face is aw red an a wee bit sweaty. “Now as I was saying, number seven is—yes Patricia. What is it now?” “Please, miss, you didny say what number six is.” 15 “Sister Mary, please and it’s ‘didn’t’, not ‘didny’.” Her voice is aw sharp an nasty like chalk screeching on the blackboard. Sister Mary screeches back: “Thou shalt not commit adultery. Now we really must press on.” Kathleen O’Donnell’s got her haun up as well. “Please Sister, is adultery like being 20 an adult?” “Er, well yes I suppose so.” “Does that mean all adults are committing a mortal sin?” Kathleen says. She’s the class sook and she’s nearly greetin, so she is. She’s fae a dead holy family by the way. She’s got two big brothers that are priests. 25 Sister Mary smiles at her. She must be feart that Kathleen’ll tell on her if she’s no nice tae her. “Well no, not exactly,” she goes. “Only those who commit adultery are in a state of mortal sin.” “But what is adultery?” ah says. Sister Mary goes tae the back of the class, her long black habit swishin as she walks. 30 She’s dead tall—an as skinny as a skelf. My mammy says it’s no wonder she couldny get a man. She’s mumblin tae herself. Ah’m no sure but ah think she says, “It’s not fair”, but she canny have cos she’s aye shoutin at Mental Mickey if he says that. He says it a lot, cos she’s aye giein him the belt. She stops her mutterin an stands up [X270/13/01] Page eleven [Turn over

straight like she keeps tellin us tae do. She’s dead crabbit. “Adultery is a mortal sin 35 because it is being rude to the Virgin Mary.” Relief. Ah thought it was somethin tae dae wi kissing. But ah hufty know for sure, so up goes my haun again, like it’s got a life o its ain. Text B Unibike at the Festival Aa thir graund ploys and players in the toon— Jist bi the Mound a chiel on a unibike Echt feet abuin the grunn, a Cockney tyke, Gies us the patter, birlin roon an roon Ye’d think him jist aboot ti cletter doon: No him. Jooglin an aipple an twa shairp dirks As braisant as the Deil an aa his Warks An aabodie cheerin the cantrips o this loun Keepin the dirkies gaun, an haein a bite Oot o the aipple an nivver lossin his grip or faain doon aff yon unibike affair. Gin I could maister yon I’d drive thaim gyte— Wi sangs an sonnets I fairlie wad let rip Et poetrie readins, echt feet abuin the flair. Text C Virus*** No that Am saying Am no grateful. Am aye grateful tae ma hosts, awratime, and if by ony chance ma host the rat snuffs it, A kin a ways switch tack. Big man, wee wuman, wean: it’s awrasame tae me. Don’t get me wrang, Am no aw that choosy, as lang as the flesh is guid and juicy. One bite and Am in, one bite and they’re mine, in the neck, the groin. Whit! Ma success rate is naebody’s bisness. Wey ma canny disguise A make sure human hosts drap like flies. Bubo! It’s all go. O sweet Christ. Sweet blood bodies. Somebody’s dochter. Somebody’s Maw.
7. Compare and contrast the vocabulary or grammar or orthography or any other linguistic feature of Scots used in any two of the texts provided. 8. Compare and contrast the use of Scots in one of the texts provided with the use of Scots in the work of any other contemporary writer you have studied.

Topic E Language and social context 9. “One of the most significant and also most complex determinants of linguistic variation is social class.” (Peter Stockwell) To what extent is this view supported by your own reading and research into language and social context? 10. How has your study of language and social context helped you to understand attitudes to linguistic variation? Topic F The linguistic characteristics of informal conversation 11. With reference to your own reading and research, discuss evidence which suggests that informal conversation is structured and ordered, rather than haphazard and random. 12. Describe some of the ways in which informal conversation is initiated, sustained and concluded.

Topic G The linguistic characteristics of political communication For both questions on this topic, you are provided with a speech made by the British Prime Minister in 2011, David Cameron, about riots which had taken place in parts of Britain on the previous evening. Read the speech, and then answer one of the questions which follow it. Speech made by David Cameron Good morning. I’ve come straight from a meeting of the government’s COBRA committee for dealing with emergencies, where we’ve been discussing the action that we will be taking to help the police to deal with the disorder on the streets of London and elsewhere in our country. I’ve also met with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the Home Secretary to discuss this further. And people should be in no doubt that we will do everything necessary to restore order to Britain’s streets and to make them safe for the law-abiding. Let me first of all completely condemn the scenes that we have seen on our television screens and people have witnessed in their communities. These are sickening scenes, scenes of people looting, vandalising, thieving, robbing, scenes of people attacking police officers, and even attacking fire crews as they’re trying to put out fires. This is criminality, pure and simple, and it has to be confronted and defeated. I feel huge sympathy for the families who’ve suffered, innocent people who’ve been burned out of their houses, and to businesses who’ve seen their premises smashed, their products looted, and their livelihoods potentially ruined. I also feel for all those who live in fear, because of these appalling scenes that we’ve seen on the streets of our country. People should be in no doubt that we are on the side of the law-abiding—law-abiding people who are appalled by what has happened in their own communities. As ever, police officers have shown incredible bravery on our streets in confronting these thugs. But it’s quite clear that we need more, much more police on our streets, and we need even more robust police action, and it’s that that I’ve been discussing in COBRA this morning. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said that, compared with the six thousand police on the streets last night in London, there will be some sixteen thousand officers tonight. All leave within the Metropolitan Police has been cancelled. There will be aid coming from police forces up and down the country, and we’ll do everything necessary to strengthen and assist those police forces that are meeting this disorder. There’s already been four hundred and fifty people arrested. We will make sure that court procedures and processes are speeded up, and people should expect to see more, many more, arrests in the days to come. I am determined, the government is determined, that justice will be done and these people will see the consequence of their actions. And I have this very clear message to those people who are responsible for this wrongdoing and criminality: you will feel the full force of the law, and if you are old enough to commit these crimes, you are old enough to face the punishments. And to these people I would say this: you are not only wrecking the lives of others, you’re not only wrecking your own communities, you are potentially wrecking your own life too. My office this morning has spoken to the Speaker of the House of Commons, and he has agreed that Parliament will be recalled for a day on Thursday, so I can make a statement to Parliament and we can hold a debate, and we are all able to stand together in condemnation of these crimes, and also to stand together in determination to rebuild these communities. Now if you’ll excuse me, there is important work to be done. Thank you.

PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET AN AMAZING DISCOUNT 🙂