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Ayzee94-
sociolinguistic_media_analysis.docxSociolinguistic Media Analysis (Stereotypes and Language Ideologies)
Popular TV programs (especially sit-coms) and films (especially animated cartoons) frequently feature characters with distinct dialects, gendered speech, or strong accents. Often characters whose language is furthest from Standard English are portrayed as uneducated, dishonest, or downright stupid. On the other hand, some non- standard ways of speaking are seen as romantic or exotic—alluring as opposed to laughable. In any case, when a scriptwriter tries to equate intelligence, morality, or sexual orientation with language, her or she may be pandering to stereotypes rather than relying on reasonable sociolinguistic generalizations. As with all media, on one hand you can say these stereotypes are merely a reflection of many people’s actual beliefs (whether they are valid or not)—but you could also argue that the media perpetuates unwarranted connections between nonstandard and substandard.
For this homework assignment, choose a film or TV program in which one character has a distinctly different non-standard dialect, gendered speech, or accent from the other characters, and provide the following information. Clearly number and address ALL 9 topics !
Basic info.
1. Title of the film or program and when it was produced
Socio-linguistic Analysis
3. Character language: Is it: A) a distinct regional or social dialect of English (from chapter 12), or B) an accent with influences from another language? Explain.
4. Phonology: Transcribe several lines or words from the character in phonetics, and below each line, give the transcription of the same words in Standard Spoken English. Point out distinctive features of the character’s phonology, which allow us to identify it as a dialect or accent. If there are elements of stress or rhythm that distinguish the speech, try your best to describe them.
5. Lexicon: Give examples of lexical choices (words the character uses) that are unique to the dialect or accent being represented—i.e. what individual words or phrases does this character use, but others characters do not?
6. Morphology-Syntax: Are there any morpho-syntactic (i.e. grammatical) differences between the character’s usage and standard English. For example African American use of habitual BE or non-use of third person singular ‘s’ on verbs, or Chicano English use of en for both in and on, or for influence from other languages, lack of determiners (a, an, the), or lack of tense or plural markers. Give examples.
7. Is this combination of language representation and characterization an attempt to accurately portray socio- economic realities (a character from a wealthy southern family should talk like a southern aristocrat, and a character from an inner-city Detroit working class family should use a corresponding dialect)? Or is the dialect or accent used in order to add stereotypical personality traits to a character? Explain with at least a short paragraph.
8. Does the use of language you identified in #7 work to make people more sensitive to realities of language variation and accepting of multiple ways of speaking, or does the use of language work to perpetuate misconceptions about the connection between non-standard usage and intelligence/personality? Write at least a short paragraph.
9. Add your own opinions and thoughts about how language is portrayed in popular TV and films.
Good examples of past analyses:
Modern Family (Gloria, who is from Columbia, or Cam, who is gay)
Fez on That 70s Show (non-native speaker)
Joyce in Edward Scissorhands
Rush Hour (African American vernacular & non-native speaker, Chinese)
Family Guy (the British dialect baby, Stewie)
Shrek (various characters)
Tony on Who’s the Boss (a show from the 80s with the Brooklyn-accented Tony Danza)
Sponge Bob (Sandy Banks)
My Fair Lady (cockney speaker Eliza Doolittle)
NCIS
Green Acres
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
the list goes on...
