Description
Book SynopsisOur favorite movies and TV shows feature indelible characters who tell us about themselves not just in what they say but in how they say it. The creative decisions behind these voicessuch as what accent or dialect to useoffer rich data for sociolinguistic study. Ideal for students of language variation as well as general readers interested in media, Vox Popular is an engaging tour through the major issues of sociolinguistic study as heard in the voices from mass media.
Provides readers with a unified and accessible picture of the interrelationships between language variation and the mass media
Presents detailed original analyses of multiple audiovisual media sources
Includes a broad methods chapter covering quantitative and qualitative methods in a style not available in any other textbook
All theoretical terms are accessibly explained, with engaging examples, making it suitable for non-academics as well as undergraduate students
Incorpora
Table of Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments vii
A Note on the Linguistic Conventions Used in Vox Popular x
Keywords Found in Each Chapter xiv
1 Language in a Mediated World 1
Mad Men in a Modern Family World 1
Why Does a Linguist Care about Mad Men or Modern Family? 3
Narrative Media as a Site for Linguistic Exploration 12
Language Variation in the Narrative Media 20
2 Exploring Language and Language Variation 25
Introduction 25
Languages and Dialects 27
The Components of a Grammar 32
All the Systems Work as a System 34
Systems of Variation 40
Language Change 47
3 Studying Language Variation in the Media 55
Introduction 55
Formulating a Research Question 56
Turning Narrative Media into Data 57
Analytic Orientation 58
Transcribing Your Data 61
Coding Your Data 66
Constructing a Corpus 69
Quantitative Methods 70
Qualitative Methods 75
Triangulating Your Evidence with Different Analytic Approaches 82
4 Dimensions of Variation 85
Introduction 85
Non-Linguistic/Linguistic 90
Spoken/Written 93
Non-Standard/Standard 97
Informal/Formal 101
Unplanned/Planned 104
Local/Global 107
Private/Public 110
Putting It All Together 114
5 Making Language Variation Meaningful 119
Introduction 119
Meaning 120
Indexical Meaning 124
Ideology 130
Ideology about Language 133
Ideology, Indexicality, and Power 138
6 Language Variation and Characterization 154
Introduction 154
Characterization and Language 156
Realness and Authenticity 160
Identity and Identification 163
Relational Identity 164
Norms and Types 168
Social Personae 172
Indexical Authenticity 176
7 Language as Narrative Action 183
Introduction 183
Performance and Speech Acts 185
Language as a Plot Device 193
Switching as Action 196
Taboo Language as Action 205
8 Connecting to the Audience 221
Introduction 221
Audiences 222
Audience Design 226
Setting Expectations for Viewers 230
Enregisterment 236
Stylization 242
Interacting with Audiovisual Media 246
The End 253
Index 258
