Speech Style and Style Shifting | Overt and Covert Prestige | How and Why People Shift Their Style

Follow on my latest Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/umairbinabid816 Speech style refers to the use of language either formally or informally in different situations. Middle classes and Lower classes usually shift their styles of language towards upper classes when they tend to be more formal. This phenomenon was also observed by Labov in his department store study in New York where asking the same question again results in increasing frequency of post vocalic /r/ in all groups of speakers that were: working class, middle class and upper class.
In our society we also observe these phenomenon wherever we are living. In every country prestige is attached to some language or some dialects of language and people tend to use that dialect or accent as in Britain, the Received Pronunciation is considered the most prestigious accent.
Overt prestige is the form of language which is acceptable and which is considered as standard by a larger community and it is usually observed in upper class speakers. Many people are likely to use these forms.
On the other hand covert prestige is the form of language which a group of speakers do not want to change or shift towards overt prestige. For example, the speech of lower working class is usually not considered a prestigious form of language in a society. While many people shift their styles of language towards overt prestige, there are many people who do not shift their speech style whether it is prestigious or not. They are proud to speak their own variety of language. Many working class speakers do covert prestige for example saying: I ain’t doin’ nuttin’ rather than I’m not doing anything.
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   • Speech Community | Sociolinguistics I...  
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