Do children know what it means to 'talk posh'? as we say in gb english

[elaine andersen]

Hi Aubrey,

In my 1991 book, Speaking with Style: The Sociolinguistic Skills of Children, and in subsequent
papers (some of them cross-linguistic), I report evidence of children showing clear sensitivity to
the correlation between speech style (i.e., register) and power/prestige as early as age 4.

Best,
Elaine
*********************************
Elaine S. Andersen
Professor
Psychology, Linguistics & Neuroscience
Hedco Neuroscience Program
HNB 18
University of Southern California
 Los Angeles, CA 90089-2520
eanderse at usc.edu
phone: 213 740-9192
 fax: 213 740-5687
 *********************************



----- Original Message -----
From: Aubrey Nunes <aubrey at pigeonpostbox.co.uk>
Date: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 8:05 pm
Subject: Do children know what it means to 'talk posh'? as we say in gb
	english

> Dear all,
>
> What I am asking about is perhaps a very British English phenomenon
> - or
> perhaps a point of sensitivity sharper in britain than elsewhere.
>
> My question is this: how early and how accurately do children learn to
> detect corelations between a particular sort of speech and the
> exercise of
> authority and power?
>
> I once read an unpublished BEd thesis from the early 90's showing
> that the
> issues at stake here were pretty well understood by children of
> around 8;0,
> as I recall. Since the implications are kind of obvious, I am sure
> that this
> must have been well studied and reported.
>
> I would be most grateful for any pointers to literature on this.
>
> Aubrey
>
>
> Aubrey Nunes,
> Pigeon Post Box Ltd
> 52 Bonham Road
> London, SW2 5HG
>
> T:  0207 652 1347
> E:  aubrey at pigeonpostbox.co.uk
> I:  www.pigeonpostbox.co.uk
>
>
>
>