Alex Scott Article by Neil Hussey

“Can’t someone give these people elocution lessons?"

2023-11-27 14:05:33 UTC

Determiner: these, separates those with a working class accent to those who speak Standard English. LDJ believes he is greater than the working class. He believes regional accents are insulting.

Encouragement in using the language that you want to

2023-11-27 14:07:12 UTC

"Never allow judgments on your class, accent, or appearance hold you back."

Asyndetic listing --> suggests there will be multiple vulnerabilities that people will face.

White Males - have more power

2023-11-27 14:08:09 UTC

'Jibe' - immediately deligitimises and invalidates Lord Digby Jones' professionalism as has connotations of childish nastiness, him being rude just to be rude, not a criticism, not what you would expect a respect man to behave like. Makes the reader immediately feel little respect for Lord Digby Jones, they're then more likely to side with Scott

2023-11-27 14:09:30 UTC

educated journalist writing for national publication - voice has more authority than a writer who isnt as educated

'It's me, it's my journey, my grit.'

2023-11-27 14:09:40 UTC

-personal determiners 'my' creates a sense of identity.

- triadic structure emphasises the pride Alex Scott takes in her accent

-noun 'journey' further represents the sense of identity and culture and the importance of expressing her own accent as it it meaningful to her and other working class members.

2023-11-27 14:11:05 UTC

The author uses supporting comments from Beth Rigby, Gary Neville, and Dawn Butler in the article. LDJ's prescriptivist views are outweighed by descriptivist, working class figures throughout the text.

"spoils" Olympic coverage

2023-11-27 14:11:15 UTC

Dynamic verb 'spoils' implying Scott's working class London accent ruins the Olympic coverage as it is not as prestigious as R.P or Estuary English. Said by Lord Digby Jones, an ex trade minster. Upper Class & likely uses R.P.

"Enough! I can't stand it anymore!"

2023-11-27 14:11:18 UTC

Double exclamative - emphasises the anger towards the language used by Scott

Adverb: Anymore --> implies that this was the limit - there are multiple people who speak with their own accent and dialect.

Prescriptivist + codification

"Can't someone give these people elocution lessons?"

2023-11-27 14:11:31 UTC

Elocution: Specialist term/jargon, indicates specialist knowledge or education, gives writer personal power over an assumed large amount of the audience in terms of knowledge.

“Proud of the girl who overcame obstacles, and proud of my accent! It’s me, it’s my journey, my grit.”

2023-11-27 14:13:14 UTC

Accent is a storytelling device: defines where a person is from, and who they are. It represents a journey different to those who believe English has a ‘right way’ to be spoken. People who believe that speaking improperly is a problem surely do not have bigger issues - issues described with the abstract noun "grit" present hardship.

Michelle Obama: 'Never allow judgments on your class, accent or appearance hold you back.'

2023-11-27 14:13:44 UTC

Authorial voice, as she is someone who has influence over people, triadic structure.

2023-11-27 14:15:13 UTC

When referring to to Lord Digby Jones' actions, dynamic verbs such as "critisised" and abstract noun such as "backlash" creates a semantic field of negativity to dissuade others from aligning their views with Lord Digby Jones.

very noticeable inability to pronounce her 'g's

2023-11-27 14:15:21 UTC

intensifer 'very' suggests that Digby belives that everyone is paying attention to her pronounciation of words rather the her sports reports.

head now 'inability' suugests that she can physically not pronounce her 'g's and that also directly offending all people from essex

"noticeable inability to pronounce her 'g's"

2023-11-27 14:15:47 UTC

abstract noun: inability --> suggests that it is Scott's and her former teacher's fault that she isn't able to speak "correctly"

--> could imply that she isn't powerful enough to change the way she speaks, but because he can he is more superior

"Lord Digby Jones! Just say that name to yourself a few times!"

2023-11-27 14:16:35 UTC

"Lord Digby Jones! Just say that name to yourself a few times! He has a say in how our country operates. I'm actually starting to see how revoultions occured! Are you?

Positioning the reader against Lord Digby Jones.

Double exclamative

C.S.

2023-11-27 14:22:13 UTC

Within the title, it is implied to readers that the issues with accent are class-based, as opposed to being an issue with clarity. This is done through the pre-modifier 'working class', which connotes a lack of education, especially when juxtaposed with political jargon 'peer' (concrete noun), which suggests highly educated aristocracy. This comparison reflects the issues of class warfare, suggesting that language use is one of conflict in status. Additionally, the author is echoing the descriptivist ideals of The Guardian by referring to class issues, as left-wing Guardian leaders are more likely to understand and resonate these issues as they will be moreso working or middle class. Hence, the values of the reader is utilised to encourage them to side with Alex Scott and their 'own kind', as opposed to the supposedly arrogant aristocracy. This links to Pitt's proposed resistance identity, which suggests accents and dialects reflect the desire to have one's own identity, encouraging tribalism (within the context of this article) alongside 'working-class' Alex Scott.

IZ

2023-11-27 14:27:56 UTC

Text A strongly promotes the idea that the correct form of language is determined by those of higher power - mainly social class. The prescriptivist who is completely against the improper English, has a Lord status and he is complaining about the language use of a working-class member, whom has pride in the language that they use and don't wish to change it. This can be supported by the observation done by Labov when the fishermen would intentionally continue to speak with their own dialect, enforcing the change from above. Both working-class members are proud of who they are and how they speak.

A.P

2023-11-27 14:28:21 UTC

Text A presents attitudes towards non-standard English as something negative and irksome. A quote to support this would be when LDJ says "Enough! I can't stand it any more". The usage of the double negative implies that LDJ is at his breaking point with the accent and dialect that Alex Scott is using. This also emphasizes the anger that LDJ feels towards Alex Scott. LDJ shows his prescriptive ideas and POV by attacking the way in which Scott speaks. The personal pronoun of "I" implies that it is only himself that is bothered by Scott's accent. This indicates that Scott's accent is not as bad as he is making it be.

K.R

2023-11-27 14:28:50 UTC

Despite the article stating quotations from Digby Jones in which he presents his prescriptivist views on language, the structure presents the reader as being positioned to take a more descriptivist approach. The final paragraph of the article is a quote, potentially insinuating we as a society rebel by using regional dialects. The exclamative

Millie Parker

2023-11-27 14:29:00 UTC

The article presents a full breakdown of the incident where the prestigious and powerful Lord Digby Jones demonstrates his ideas regarding a working class accent on the BBC through an attack on the social media platform Twitter. Within this attack he positioned the reader to think about the interrogative of “can’t someone give these people elocution lessons?”. The use of an open, rhetorical question positions the reader to think about the ideas presented through the tweet which ultimately enables them to react and comment in response to it. It is clear to see that Lord Digby is potentially using his positional power of prestige to assert his dominance over Scott to downgrade her from the working class roots and background. It can be also argued that he is using his limited knowledge and ideas power that he learnt from his prestigious roots which is regarding the idea to further reinforce the right wing views into the BBC further portraying his right wing ideologies he has upheld throughout his life. Additionally, the Collective pronoun of "these people" ultimately positions the reader to agree with Alex Scott, further reinforcing the left wing ideologies of the guardian.

courtney

2023-11-27 14:29:14 UTC

text A presents attitudes towards non standard English as something negative and irksome. A quote to support this is 'her very noticeable inability to pronounce her 'g' the use of the head noun 'inability' suggests that he knows that one of her accents features is missing out 'g's

ew🤮

2023-11-27 14:29:15 UTC

Text A is an article published by The Guardian, a left-wing tabloid, already setting the tone for the coverage of an online dispute between Alex Scott and Lord Digby Jones. Naturally, we can assume that the audience of this article will also hold left-wing ideology, and so the author has strived to push a liberal narrative regarding the online conflict. Not only is it covering a single incident, but more so a wider debate, an unspoken feud between the working class and the upper class. Alex Scott commented that she is “proud of the girl who overcame obstacles and proud of [her] accent!” She states using triadic structure that “it’s me, it’s my journey, my grit”. Through describing her accent as an inherent part of herself, using the declarative phrase “it’s me”, is a powerful sentiment in which she waves her working class heritage in the face of Lord Digby Jones. Her accent is represented as a story-telling device, as suggested by the abstract noun “journey”,

ruby

2023-11-27 14:29:19 UTC

Text A presents the idea that that linguistic snobbery is rooted in prescriptivism, which no longer has a place in modern society. An example of this is 'after peers elocution jibe'. The dynamic verb 'jibe' immediately invalidates Lord Digby Jones' authority as it has connotations of childish nastiness, 'jibe' being used in place of a more 'civilised' verb 'criticise'. This makes the reader feel little respect for Jones as it is not how you expect a respected man to behave, the reader automatically tends to side with Jones.

Joshua Giger

2023-11-27 14:29:30 UTC

One quote that suggests that Lord Digby Jones is incorrect in their prescriptivist views is found within the multitude of tweets the writer had examined that counters Lord Digby Jones as examined within Gary Neville's tweet "He has a say in how out country operates. I'm actually starting to see how revolutions occurred", the abstract noun of "revolutions" convey strong emotions opposing the belief that non-standard English is negative and irksome, this aligns with Labov's Martha's vineyard study which results had concluded that minor groups that have an accent varying from the standard are valued by members of the minority rather than seen as incomplete.