Email this article 
The Principle of Least Speech Effort in British English (based on youth speech)
- Authors: Bezborodova M.V.1
-
Affiliations:
- Moscow State Linguistic University
- Issue: No 2(883) (2024)
- Pages: 16-21
- Section: Linguistics
- URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/2542-2197/article/view/316589
- ID: 316589
Cite item
Abstract
The given article presents the generalization of the previous studies of the pronunciation variation (the segmental level) in the speech of young native Standard British English speakers. Changes within the systems of vowels and consonants, and the phenomena of compression and decompression are associated with the loose manner of pronunciation. The analysis of the obtained results proves that young educated Brits use modern pronunciation innovations minimizing their speech efforts.
About the authors
Maria Valeryevna Bezborodova
Moscow State Linguistic University
Author for correspondence.
Email: mvb87@rambler.ru
PhD (Philology), Associate Professor, Associate Professor at the Department of English Phonetics
English Language Faculty Moscow State Linguistic University
References
- Nordquist, R. (2020). The Principle of Least Effort: Definition and Examples of Zipf’s Law. ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020. thoughtco.com/principle-of-least-effort-zipfs-law-1691104. Дата обращения: 06.08.2023.
- Cruttenden, A. (2008). Gimson’s Pronunciation of English, 7th ed. London: Hodder Education.
- Smith, Ben T. (2011). Sign of the times: William and Kate’s accents. http://dialectblog.com/2011/05/01/william-and-kates-accent/ Дата обращения: 27.07.2023.
- Wells, J. C. (2014). Sounds interesting. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Nersesyan-Brytkova, А. (2020). Eksperty vyiasnili, kto iz detey prynca Williama govorit s «korolevskiym» akcentom = Experts have found out which of Prince William’s children speaks with a “royal” accent. https://www.baby.ru/journal/korolevskiy-akcent/ (In Russ.)
- Wells, J. C. (1982). Accents of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Labov, W. (2001). Principles of Linguistic Change, vol.2, Social Factors. Oxford: Wiley–Blackwell.
- Hawkins, S., Midgley, J. (2005). Formant Frequencies of RP Monophthongs in Four Age Groups of Speakers // Journal of the International Phonetic Association. Cambridge Univ. Press,Vol. 35., No. 2. December, 2005. P. 183–199.
- Kerswill, P., Torgersen , E. N., Fox, S. (2008). Reversing «drift»: Innovation and Diffusion in the London Diphthong System. In Language Variation and Change (vol. 20, pp. 451–491). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
- Bezborodova, M. V. (2016). Qualitative changes of the modern RP vowel system. Vestnik of Moscow State Linguistic University. Humanities, 1(740), 9–18. http://www.vestnik-mslu.ru/Vest/Vest16-740z.pdf (date of access: 04.06.2023). (In Russ.)
- Tollfree, L. (1999). South East London English: discrete versus continuous modelling of consonantal reduction. In Foulkes, P., Docherty, G. (eds.), Urban Voices, Accent Studies in the British Isles (pp. 163–184). Arnold Publishers.
- Wells, J. C. (1999). Pronunciation preferences in British English: a new survey. In Proceedings of the XIV International Congress of Phonetic Sciences. San Francisco.
- Hughes, A., Trudgill, P., Watts, D. (2005). English Accents and Dialects. Fourth Edition. An Introduction to Social and Regional Varieties of English in the British Isles. London: Hodder Arnold.
- Bezborodova, M. V. (2023). Revisiting the System of British English Consonants (in the youth speech). Vestnik of Moscow State Linguistic University. Humanities, 1(869), 17–24. http://www.vestnik-mslu.ru/Vest/1_869_H.pdf (date of access: 04.06.2023). (In Russ.)
- Budagov, R. A. (1972). Opredelyaet li printcip ekonomii razvitie i funktcionirovanie yazika? = Does the principle of economy determine the development and functioning of language? Topics in the Study of Language, 1, 17–36. (In Russ.)
- Lindblom, B. (1983). Economy of speech gestures. In MacNeilage, P. F. (ed.). The Production of Speech (pp. 217–246). New York: Springer-Verlag.
- Wells, J. C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. 3rd edition. London: Longman.
Supplementary files
