Dias nummer 1
Jacob Thgersen, University of CopenhagenJan Heegrd, Copenhagen
Business School
[email protected]
Changes in linguistic style as a consequence of changing media
normsReductions as an indicator of vernacularization?Sted og dato
(Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias nr.Sted og dato (Indst -->
Diasnummer)Dias nr.Why investigate language change in the national
broadcast mediaMedia language reflects language normsMedia language
affect our language norms
BackgroundDenmark had (has?) a broadcast monopoly
(DR)Established 1925 with strong national and educational aimsFocus
on proper language in particular in serious programs like the news.
Proper language as a sign of credibility.
DR reflect language ideals and disseminate language ideals
Sted og dato (Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias nr.Grand questionsHow
does the style of the radio news, i.e. the standard of excellence,
change over time?
How do these stylistic changes correlate with changes in media
norms?
Sted og dato (Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias nr.Media norms 1940
& 2010. From enlightenment to infotainmentThe National
Broadcasting Company was established to connect with all households
in the country []. A state institution was created, free from
speculation, advertising and private interests, an institution
intended solely to serve country and people and to act as a link to
the outside world. (Then prime minister Thorvald Stauning, in
Breidahl & Res book in celebration of DRs 15th anniversary,
1940:5)
Precisely in a time which is more fragmented than ever before,
where we use more media than ever before and gather our information
and find our experiences in far more sources than ever before,
there is a need that we are also supplied with a common platform.
(Then minister of cultural affairs Per Stig Mller, DRs Public
service contract, 2010)
Can we see the results of these changing ideals in the style of
the language of the media?Sted og dato (Indst -->
Diasnummer)Dias nr.Style changes: Independent
evidenceNon-linguistic changes in news reading style, speed, pauses
etc.:
News readingsOnly the actual reading of news, not e.g.
interviews or reports from correspondents1936-2010 7.6 hours 50
programs 70,000 words
Sted og dato (Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias nr.Style changes:
Increasing speedThe speaking rate and articulation rate increase
noticeablyFewer and shorter pauses(cf. Thgersen 2001)Sted og dato
(Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias nr.Reductions as improper media
languageEven for leading Danish media people the rushed times we
live in often impede clarity. This is mainly due to the omnipresent
cutting disease [i.e. cutting off syllables] or syllable
cannibalism. In the whirling tempo of the times, smaller or even
larger percentages of the words are lost. We see for instance how
billeder becomes /bedl/, stearin becomes /sdaRI;N/, teater /tad/,
parentes /pangTE;S/. In all four examples, one of three syllables
is lost. The cannibal swallows 33 %. (Prof. Peder Skyum-Nielsen,
2007)
Thgersen, forthc.Sted og dato (Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias
nr.Style changes: ReductionsChanges in the frequency of reductions
in the reading style:
News readingsOnly the actual reading of news, not e.g.
interviews or reports from correspondents1936-2010 6 hours 38
programs 53,000 words
Sted og dato (Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias nr.Syllable,
consonant and schwa
reductionsVariable(d)()()Variantsmensd/mensdlm/lmg/gOrthographymindstelammedegangeType(syll.)(syll.)(schwa)9
listeners / 3 variables
Variable(m)(pretonics)(cluster)(C)(gd)
(VgV)Variantssdm/sdmmeiknsg/miknsgpilodsdg/pilosdgnd/ndsbgd/sbdtgi/tiOrthographystemmeamerikanskepilotstrejkeandrerespekttrykkeriType(schwa)(syll.)(cons.)(cons.)(cons.)(cons.)2
listeners / 6 variables
Sted og dato (Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias nr.MethodWords in
isolation (total n 3800)Automatic extraction of tokens based on
(automatically generated) phonological transcriptionUsing
PraatForced-choice form: Reduced or not? with N/A to report errors.
(N/As excluded in statistics)
Slightly different tasks: semantic (past. vs partc. / sing. vs.
plur.) or phonetic differentiation
Each token scored as the number of listeners who heard it as
reduced, 0-2 or 0-9 reduction score
Mean scores per decade: index (0-2 or 0-9)Sted og dato (Indst
--> Diasnummer)Dias nr.Results: Increase in the degree of
reductions
(d)() *() *Sted og dato (Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias nr.
(m) *
(pretonic)(clusters) *Results: Increase in the degree of
reductionsSted og dato (Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias nr.
(gd)(VgV) *(C) *Results: Increase in the degree of
reductionsSted og dato (Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias nr.Reductions
as style indicator: ConclusionMore reductions vernacularization
Some variables show a somewhat linear development: (), (),
(clusters), (C), (pretonics)Some show little development: (d),
(gd)Some show a large difference between old (30s, 40s) and later:
(), (m)Some show erratic development: (m), (VgV)Noise in the
experiment?Variation in individual speakers due to salience leading
to corrections?
DRs news reading style becomes more like the vernacular, but is
it like the vernacular?
Sted og dato (Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias nr.(d) () ()(m)
(pretonics) (cluster) (C)(gd) (VgV) Radio news 3.5% 40.0% 35.6%
32.6% 7.4% 43.9% 69.3% 38.0% 71. 1% DanPASS 7.3% 74.0% 74.4% 61.3%
31.1% 40.5% 30.8% 23.3% 73.5% p (chi2)0.05 < 0.001 < 0.001
< 0.001 < 0.001 n.s. < 0.001 0.002 n.s. Lanchart 54.5%1
76.7%2p (chi2)< 0.001 < 0.001 Reductions Compared with
corpora of spontaneous spoken DanishRadio newsAfter 1980Only tokens
where both listeners agreed on the codingDanPASS (Danish
Phonetically Annotated Spontaneous Speech) Map-tasks in
experimental set-up ( 10 hours)Forms annotated as reduced in the
authorized transcriptionLanchart: Sociolinguistic interviews 1) (
15 hours), 2) 1 long interview with 2 informants ( 2 hours)Sted og
dato (Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias nr.ConclusionIncreasing
frequency of reducions vernacularizationthe intrusion of improper
language in the serious mediaStill perceived as proper language
demotization improper language accepted as proper language
Changes in articulation rate and reductions as a consequence of
new media norms? The era of good-enough
Not all reductions are equally frequent Categorically different
phenomena: Some are phonologized, others are indicators of casual
style? Some are salient (at some times), others are not?
News reading style (still) differs markedly from spontaneous
speech. How great was this difference earlier?Sted og dato (Indst
--> Diasnummer)Dias nr.Style changes - SpeedSted og dato (Indst
--> Diasnummer)Dias nr.Consonant
reductionsVariable(d)()()ExamplemindstelammedegangeVariantsmensd/mensdlm/lmg/gn620/1298383/9281570.9790.9160.9059
listeners / 3 variables
Variable(me)(pretonics)(cluster)(Cr)(gd)
(VgV)ExamplestemmeamerikanskepilotstrejkeandrerespekttrykkeriVariantssdm/sdmmeiknsg/miknsgpilodsdg/pilosdgnd/ndsbgd/sbdtgi/tin1314181975064779340.7230.6220.7810.7580.4550.6642
listeners / 6 variables
Sted og dato (Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias nr.Consonant
reductions - Results
(d)()()Sted og dato (Indst --> Diasnummer)Dias nr.