Accommodation and Identity British Pop Music Accommodation

Accommodation and Identity British Pop Music

Accommodation • Speakers change their speech to be more like the addressee. • Speakers change to be evaluated favorably by the addressee. • Travel Agents change pronunciation to be like clients in New Zealand. • The variable is pronouncing intervocalic /t/ as /d/. • “better”[b d r]

British Pop-song Pronunciation • Popular singers use different accents while singing – 1960’s pop-style had unique combination of features • Not found in any single regional dialect – Intervocalic /t/ as [d] instead of [t] or [ʔ] » (Americans use [t] or [d]) – /æ/ as [æ] instead of [a] » (Americans use [æ]) – Non-prevocalic /r/ as [r] instead of deletion » (Most regions of America use [r]) – Monophthongization of /ay/ as [aˑ] » (American Southerners use [aˑ]) – Love and done: mid central vowel » (Americans also do) – Body and top: unrounded » (Americans also do) • Popular singers are not accommodating any British audience

/t/ and Monophthongization

Non prevocalic /r/ • Nonprevocalic /r/ is the same /r/ that is not pronounced in U. S. Southern Dialect and New York Vernacular, AAVE, Boston Vernacular etc. • Neither London nor Liverpool pronounce it.

Pop Style & U. S. South North London Liverpool dance last [dans] [last] [dæns] [læst] can’t half [kant] [haf] [kænt] [hæf]

Interpretations Based on Theory • Singers are being appropriate to context by altering pronunciation. • American pronunciation is appropriate to British singing. • Le. Page’s theory is that speakers seek to identify with groups by pronunciation. • Not only accent but vocabulary is American. – Guy, call • Accommodation theory would have to be extended to cover British pop singing.

British Pop Style Has a Contrast with U. S. Pop Style • U. S. Pop style does not pronounce nonprevocalic /r/ – Elvis Presley (using native Southern dialect) – Bob Dylan (adopting Southern accent for singing). • British Pop Singers imitate /r/ of U. S. speech but U. S. pop singers don’t pronounce it. • British singers would sound more American if they dropped /r/ as in their ordinary speech – Apparently British singers couldn’t distinguish between American singing and speaking styles

U. S. South and AAVE Features found in American Popular Singing Style • American singers don’t pronounce nonprevocalic /r/ • American singers monophthongize /ay/ to [a: ] • /I/ is pronounced [æ] in “thing” [θæŋ] imitating Southern and AAVE merger of /e/ and /I/ before /n/ (pin and pen are homonyms)

“Matchbox” (1964) • Pronounce nonprevocalic /r/ • Voice intervocalic /t/ “sitting” [s. Id. In] [s. It. In] “poor” [por] “for” [for] “little” [l. Id. Il] “sure”[šor]

“I Saw Her Standing There” (1963) • Nonprevocalic /r/ • Monophthongization • Voice intervocalic /t/ “I” [a: ] “compare” [kʌmpær] “there” [ðɛr] “her” [hɛr] “another” [ʌnʌðIr] “heart” [ha: t] “other” [ʌðIr] “before” [b. Iyfor]

“Can’t Buy Me Love” (1964) • • • Mid-Central vowel in “love” Digraph in “can’t” Central vowel in “body” Monophthongization Voice intervocalic /t/ Nonprevocalic /r/ “can’t” [kæant] “love” [lʌv] “I” [a: ] “care” [kær] “for” [for] “everybody” [ɛvr. Iybʌd. Iy] “I’ll” [a: ll] “satisfied” [sæd. Isfayd]

“Dust My Broom” 1959 • Omit nonprevocalic /r/ • Monophthongization • Voice intervocalic /t/ Beatles express admiration for Elmore James on “For You Blue” I'm gettin' up soon in the mornin' I believe I'll dust my broom … I quit the best girl I'm lovin', now my friends can get in my room I'm gonna write a letter, telephone every town I know … If I don't find her in Mississippi, she be in East Monroe I know And I don't want no woman, wants every downtown man she meets … Man, she's a no good doney they shouldn't allow her on the street, yeah I believe, I believe my time ain't long … I ain't gonna leave my baby, and break up my happy home “morning” [mo: n. In] “I” [a: ] “letter” [lɛdʌ] “my” [ma: ] “time” [ta: m]

“Down Home Girl” 1965 • Pronounce nonprevocalic /r/ • Voice intervocalic /t/ “Lord” [lo: d] # “turnip” [t. Irn. Ip] “girl” [girʌl] “pork” [pork] “citified” [s. Id. Ifayd] “every” [eva: ] “fiberglass” [fayb. Irglæs] “you’re” [yo: ]# #-Unlike British Pop style

British Pop Singers Changed • The First Two Beatles and Rolling Stones Records had 36% of /r/ (1963 -65) • Four Pop albums of 1978 -79 had 4% /r/ – Dire Straits, Supertramp, Clash, Sham ‘ 69

Decline of /r/ • Beatles and Rolling Stones had similar declines • Trudgill claims that 47% was the best they could do.

Decline of /r/ and /t/ for Beatles and Rolling Stones • Voiced intervocalic /t/ scores high • Rolling Stones decreased /t/ from 100 -46% – “Some Girls” 46% • “Pretty” effect lowered score.

Beatles eventually reverted to [a: ] • • Use of [æ] was consistent until 1965 Sargeant Pepper and White Album alternated [æ] and [a: ] Abbey Road used all [a: ] They reverted to Liverpool speech.

British Desire to Sound American Decreased • British pronunciations were not introduced until punk music. • Punk is loud, fast and aggressive – Songs about violence underpriveledge, alienation, rejection – Urban working class youth

Punk uses Low Prestige Speech of Southern England • • Way of speaking is intended to be aggressive Associated with Working Class • Punk uses some American features – Intermittent Monophthongization

Pop Trends in 1979 • Most British Pop is /r/ less • Most British Pop groups use /t/ and /æ/ – Even Punk: Stranglers, Clash, Sham ’ 69 • Only Punk and Dury use [ʔ]

“I’m So Bored with the U. S. A. ” (1979) American • Digraph British • • wide diphthong dipthong /r/less /t/ unvoiced

• • • • • • Yankee soldier He wanna shoot some skag He met it in Cambodia But now he can't afford a bag “I’m So • Bored • Yankee dollar talk with the To the dictators of the world In fact it's giving orders U. S. A. ” • An' they can't afford to miss a word (1977) • I'm so bored with the U. . . S. . . A. . . • But what can I do? • Yankee detectives Are always on the TV 'Cos killers in America • Work seven days a week • Never mind the stars and stripes Let's print the Watergate Tapes I'll salute the New Wave • And I hope nobody escapes • I'm so bored with the U. . . S. . . A. . . But what can I do? • Move up For the Suck on For the Starsky C. I. A. Kojak USA “soldier” [solǰʌ] “can’t” [kænt] “afford” [afo: d] “dictators” [dikteytor] “bored” [bo: d] “A…” [æI] “killers” [k. Ilɛ: z] “Watergate” wɔtʌgæIt] “Tapes” x [tæIps] “mind” [ma. Ind] “I” [a. I]

“Quiet!” (1979) (1990) • Dury lacks American pronunciation • Glottal stop for intervocalic or final /t/ “quiet” [kwayɛt] 9 “quiet” [kwayɛʔ] 11