Penelope Eckert’s paper Linguistic Variation as Social Practice seeks to investigate the social dynamics within the male/female and jock/burnout matrix, as well as the linguistic qualities each subset expresses and compare it to the linguistic variables in the Northern Cities Vowel Shift, which is comprised of the following phonological qualities include the raising of /æ/, the fronting of /ɑ/, the lowering of /ɔ/, the backing and lowering of /ɛ/, the backing of /ʌ/, and the lowering and backing of /ɪ/. This response paper seeks to analyze whether Eckert’s account of high school dynamics holds up to scrutiny with respect to a modernized sociocultural high school landscape and whether it can and should be reproduced.
There is a need to deal …show more content…
Only jocks are represented in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, with 5 male jocks and 11 female jocks. Only burnouts are represented in remedial courses, with 9 male burnouts and 7 female burnouts. The main point of contention, however, is the vocational category. Vocational education has long been stigmatized by the community at large and is very heavily associated with working-class individuals who did not have the academic capabilities nor the intellect to meet the prevailing definition of success. The male burnouts are heavily represented, with 33 male burnouts having been enrolled in vocational courses, whereas only 9 female burnouts enrolled in vocational courses. 5 male jocks enrolled in vocational courses, whereas no female jocks enrolled in vocational courses. Based on the tables displayed in chapter 5, the parents’ occupations are at least somewhat indicative of the occupation that a given student would pursue. Jocks go for white collar jobs; burnouts go for blue collar …show more content…
This is based on Eckert’s data, showing that 50 burnouts are from working-class families, whereas only 16 jocks and 16 in-betweeners are from working-class families, and that 50 jocks come from upper middle class families, whereas 42 in-betweeners and 23 burnouts come from upper middle class families.
What could also be useful is the extent to which these linguistic variables were established in junior high (middle) school. The categorization of the students and the linguistic variables chosen are not finalized in junior high. The social variables, however, are defined, regardless of whom are partaking in the social variable. For example, in junior high, some of the jocks would also smoke, even though that is not the role of a jock, further reinforcing the code of conduct for jocks and
There is a need to deal …show more content…
Only jocks are represented in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, with 5 male jocks and 11 female jocks. Only burnouts are represented in remedial courses, with 9 male burnouts and 7 female burnouts. The main point of contention, however, is the vocational category. Vocational education has long been stigmatized by the community at large and is very heavily associated with working-class individuals who did not have the academic capabilities nor the intellect to meet the prevailing definition of success. The male burnouts are heavily represented, with 33 male burnouts having been enrolled in vocational courses, whereas only 9 female burnouts enrolled in vocational courses. 5 male jocks enrolled in vocational courses, whereas no female jocks enrolled in vocational courses. Based on the tables displayed in chapter 5, the parents’ occupations are at least somewhat indicative of the occupation that a given student would pursue. Jocks go for white collar jobs; burnouts go for blue collar …show more content…
This is based on Eckert’s data, showing that 50 burnouts are from working-class families, whereas only 16 jocks and 16 in-betweeners are from working-class families, and that 50 jocks come from upper middle class families, whereas 42 in-betweeners and 23 burnouts come from upper middle class families.
What could also be useful is the extent to which these linguistic variables were established in junior high (middle) school. The categorization of the students and the linguistic variables chosen are not finalized in junior high. The social variables, however, are defined, regardless of whom are partaking in the social variable. For example, in junior high, some of the jocks would also smoke, even though that is not the role of a jock, further reinforcing the code of conduct for jocks and