BBC Voices

Conversation in London about accent, dialect and attitudes to language.

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  • Type

    sound

  • Duration

    00:52:12

  • Shelf mark

    C1190/42/01

  • Recording date

    2005-03-20

  • Is part of (Collection)

    BBC Voices Recordings

  • Recording locations

    London

  • Interviewees

    Bindah, Madhvi, 1981 Aug. 24- (speaker, female, student), Le Fook, Donald, 1980 Oct. 16- (speaker, male, Nursimulu, Rishi, 1981 Feb. 24- (speaker, male

  • Interviewers

    Maistry, Devan, (speaker, male)

  • Producers

    Asian Network

  • Abstract

    [00:00:00] Discussion of words used to describe EMOTIONS. Comment that they use a lot of formal English words. [00:04:04] Discussion of words used to describe ACTIONS. [00:06:46] Discussion of words used to describe CLOTHING. Comment that he’s noticed that Mauritians living in England use the English word for all items of clothing except ‘sandals’ for which they keep the Mauritian word. Remark that Mauritians in England use a lot of English words when speaking Creole. [00:09:06] Discussion of words used to describe PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES. Mention different languages they use regularly. [00:12:33] Discussion of words used to describe PEOPLE AND THINGS. Brief discussion about words used to mean ‘young person in cheap trendy clothes and jewellery’ in Mauritian Creole. Mention words used to mean ‘pregnant/lacking money/insane’. [00:17:00] Discussion of words used to describe WEATHER AND SURROUNDINGS. Brief discussion about ‘heavy rain’ in Mauritian Creole. [00:18:35] Mention words used to mean ‘grandfather/grandmother/uncle/aunt’. Discussion about naming conventions for members of their family/family friends, how these vary depending on the person they’re addressing. [00:22:18] Discussion about their identity as Mauritians, how this changes depending on where they are, languages they speak. Differences between their relationships with British-born Indian/Mauritian people and those who have moved to England from India/Mauritius, possible reasons for this. [00:31:29] Discussion about how people from different ethnic backgrounds interact in Mauritius in comparison to United Kingdom. How the languages they speak/their accent relates to their identity. [00:37:09] Discussion about ideas about marriage in Mauritian society, how people in Muslim community have been affected by 9/11, how Mauritian people have integrated into British society while maintaining their Mauritian identity. [00:41:40] Discussion about British society, drinking culture, stress levels. Relationship between Britain and Mauritius, languages used in Mauritius.

  • Description

    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 three interviewees are all Mauritians who have Indian backgrounds and are studying in England.

  • Texts

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