The British Library The British Library http://sounds.bl.uk/JISC ASR IPR STATUS LIST.xls Conversation in Newton St Cyres about accent, dialect and attitudes to language. C1190/13/04 BBC Voices Recordings Recording made for BBC Voices project of a conversation guided by a BBC interviewer. The conversation follows a loose structure based on eliciting opinions about accents, dialects, the words we use and people's attitude to language. The interviewees represent three generations of women from an upper middle class family of Devon landowners. [00:00:00] Speakers introduce themselves. Description of their own accents, how going to posh boarding school/her mothers snobbery about regional accents has affected her speech. [00:02:41] & [00:03:02] [recording starts again]. Mention words she wasnt allowed to say because they werent posh enough. Description of family history, how long she has lived in Devon. Discussion about childrens accents, trying to keep them relatively neutral because they were sent to local instead of public schools which went against family expectations. Description of how her speech changes depending on who shes talking to on telephone, possible reasons for this, using accent as camouflage, comment that more young people have Received Pronunciation rather than Devon accent these days. Description of how vocabulary varies across Devon/United Kingdom today, farming/cheese-making vocabulary.[00:12:55] Discussion about their own accents, how mothers/daughters accent compares, examples of words she has learnt from her mother. Discussion about words used to mean baby.[00:16:29] Discussion about local speech, filler words young people use, description of old village accent and vocabulary. How accent varies across Devon, connection between peoples speech and family background.[00:21:26] Discussion about other peoples attitudes towards their accent, how regional accents are changing over time, future of regional accents, attitudes towards regional accents, speech and social class.[00:25:21] Discussion of words used to describe EMOTIONS.[00:28:25] Discussion of words used to describe CLOTHING.[00:28:59] Discussion of words used to describe ACTIONS.[00:30:23] Discussion of words used to describe PEOPLE AND THINGS. Mention reason why she purposely avoids using poorly to mean unwell.[00:36:18] Discussion of words used to describe PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES.[00:38:25] Discussion of words used to describe WEATHER AND SURROUNDINGS. Comment that word used for main room of house and long soft seat in main room were a class-identifier for her mother.[00:41:22] Explanation of words/phrases they use that come from other languages, discussion about English language absorbing influences from other languages, attitudes towards language change, language and identity, future of Devon accent. Speakers re-introduce themselves. 2005-02-22 Newton St Cyres, Devon sound Langdon-Davies, Jane, (speaker, female student) Quicke, Mary, 1955 May 01- (speaker, female farmer and cheese maker Tinne-Quicke, Prudence, 1928 July 21- (speaker, female interviewee artist) England, Kirk, 1973 July 31- (speaker, male) Radio Devon 00:45:00