English Variety Mini Fieldwork Homework
Homework on a Variety of English (that is not your own)
You will work with a classmate, friend or acquaintance (old or new) to document how the phonetics of their dialect of English differs from your own. This person will be referred to below as your "Consultant." The only requirement for your Consultant is that they be a fluent speaker of English. Note however if your consultant is a classmate in this class, you may not also be their consultant (and vice versa).
You will probably find this homework both easier and more interesting if you choose a Consultant with a notably different English "accent" than your own. For example, you could consider looking for someone who grew up in a different part of the United States or English-speaking world than you did, for example, Los Angeles versus London, or who learned English after childhood. If you know your Consultant's language background ahead of time, you can research some dialect (pronunciation) differences that you might anticipate hearing when you meet together to elicit words from them.
Plan to work together in a quiet place where you can hear your consultant well. As long as both ends are quiet, Zoom is fine! It will be helpful to be able to see their face well, in addition to being able to hear well. Take notes with a pencil and paper, and have your IPA chart handy. You will certainly need to ask them to pronounce words multiple times as you record the correct transcription; with your Consultant's permission, you may record them for your own later reference. When you meet, it may be important to let your Consultant know that you want to hear how they would speak to their friends or family, not how they think they 'ought' to speak or might speak in a formal situation.
Section One: Information
Note: You may print this page and do your work on it to turn in, or you can accurately re-create it on your own piece of paper to turn in (please retain the same organization/layout); you will need to scan or clearly photograph it, given that we are remote this semester. Alternatively, you can create an Word doc (feel free to copy and paste the below) and type in the phonetic symbols. (On a mac the Phonetic Alphabet in the Character Viewer is helpful [Keyboard preferences:"Show keyboard and emoji viewers in menu bar;" then from menu bar select "Show Emojis and Symbols; customize with gear at upper left; add Phonetic Alphabet and the select it for choices].)
This is the City and State/Country in which I learned English: _____________________.
This is the City and State/Country in which my Consultant learned English: ______________________.
If you and your Consultant are remarkably different in age (i.e. different generations), please explicate that difference here: _____________________________________________.
If your Consultant learned English after childhood, what was their first (i.e. native) language: ______________________.
If you and your Consultant learned in English in roughly the same city yet you have notable pronunciation differences, describe specifically what you believe those might be attributed to--for example, cultural group, socioeconomic group, bilingualism: _____________________________________________.
Section Two: Transcription of differences in vowels
Find five words in which the stressed vowel is produced differently by you and your Consultant. Transcribe the entire word for both you and your Consultant. (In this section, do not choose words for which you and your Consultant place the stress on different syllables; that is, we are interested here in vowel differences that are unrelated to stress differences.)
Orthography
My pronunciation (IPA)
Consultant's form (IPA)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Section Three: Transcription of other phonetic differences
Find three words (or short phrases) in which you and your Consultant have differing pronunciations that are not (solely) a difference in the vowels. Such differences might include consonants (either their presence vs absence ([hɛlp] vs. [hɛp], or their categorical or fine differences), stress ['læ.bɹə.tɔ.ɹi] vs. [lə.'bɔɹ.ə.tɹi] , number of syllables (e.g., ['fæm.ə.li] vs. ['fæm.li], sentence intonation, or consonant order (e.g., "ask" as [ask] vs. [aks]). (Note the use of . to identify syllable boundaries.) If (and only if) the difference you are hearing does not seem to be something you can transcribe in IPA (e.g., intonation), transcribe the words as best you can and then also describe the difference in as much detail as possible.
Orthography
My pronunciation (IPA)
Consultant's form (IPA)
1.
2.
3.
Section Four: Regional Vocabulary (not phonetics or "accent")
Regional vocabulary differences exist across dialects of English. Find three vocabulary items for which you and your speaker use entirely different words.
My word (orthography)
Consultant's word (orthography)
1.
2.
3.