Multicultural London English and New-Dialect Formation

Jenny Cheshire

doi:10.18290/rh237106.3s

Published : 2023-07-24

Vol. 71 No. 6sp (2023)

Multicultural London English and New-Dialect Formation

Jenny Cheshire

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4217-1751

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rh237106.3s

Abstract

Peter Trudgill has suggested that a number of the processes involved in new-dialect formation may be of a widespread or universal type. Multicultural London English (MLE) is a new dialect that emerged in a different and more complex sociolinguistic situation than those considered previously, so it provides an opportunity to further consider the extent to which the processes are widespread or universal. I argue that the characteristic features of MLE emerged as a result of dialect mixture, including traditional London English, colonial and creole-influenced varieties of English, and many different interlanguage varieties of English. Some MLE features confirm the relevance of the levelling of minority forms, and perhaps also of simplification. There is also evidence of drift. Above all, their emergence confirms the importance of linguistic accommodation in face-to-face interactions. In this, as for so many sociolinguistic issues, Peter Trudgill was right!

Keywords:

new-dialect formation, Multicultural London English, levelling, drift, accommodation, grammatical variation

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Jenny Cheshire

j.l.cheshire@qmul.ac.uk
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4217-1751

Affiliation:

Queen Mary University of London, Emeritus Professor United Kingdom

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Jenny Cheshire is Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Queen Mary University of London. Her PhD research on the dialect spoken in Reading, England, was supervised by Peter Trudgill. Since then, she has worked on different aspects of grammatical variation and change, focusing particularly on the speech of adolescents. Her recent research explores language use in multilingual areas of London and Paris, and the role of the wider sociocultural and historical context in facilitating linguistic innovation and change.