Dias nummer 1

Jacob Thgersen, University of CopenhagenJan Heegrd, Copenhagen Business School

jthoegersen@hum.ku.dk

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.