An interesting question, therefore, is: why do [British pop] singers modify their pronunciation in this way? One theory that attempts to deal with language modification of this kind is the socio-psychological accommodation theory of [Howard] Giles. This, briefly, attempts to explain temporary or long-term adjustments in pronunciation and other aspects of linguistic behaviour in terms of a drive to approximate one's language to that of one's interlocutors, if they are regarded as socially desirable and/or if the speaker wishes to identify with them and/or demonstrate good will towards them. This may often take the form of reducing the frequency of socially stigmatized linguistic forms in the presence of speakers of higher prestige varieties. The theory also allows for the opposite effect: the distancing of one's language from that of speakers one wishes to disassociate oneself from, in order to assert one's own identity.
Posted by jim at August 24, 2003 04:31 PM | TrackBackAccommodation theory does go some way towards accounting for the phenomenon of pop-song pronuciation. It is clearly not sufficient, however, since it applies only to conversational situations. And we cannot assume that pop musicians adjust their pronunciation in order to make it resemble more closely that of their intended audience, since what actually happens is in many respects the reverse.
Another, less elaborate way to look at this problem is simply to discuss it in terms of sociolinguistic notion of 'appropriateness'. As is well known, different situations, different topics, different genres require different linguistic styles and registers. The singing of pop music in this way, it could be argued, is no different from vicars preaching in the reigster appropriate to Church of England sermons, or BBC newsreaders employing the variety appropriate for the reading of the news. Certainly 'appropriateness' is obviously a relevant factor here. But, equally obviously, it is not on its own enough to provide an explanation for why it is this type of singing which is regulated in this way, nor why it is characterized by this particular set of pronunciation rules and tendencies rather than some other.
[Peter Trudgill, "Acts of conflcting identity: the sociolinguistics of British pop-song pronunciation" in On Dialect: Social and Geographical Perspectives, p. 143f.]
It often sounds to me like British rock&roll singers shift their style in the direction of an American accent. Americans sometimes do it in the opposite direction, a practice that was especially common during the Beatles era. Of course it's rare for the shift to be complete (outside of overt "tribute" bands). Do others hear the same thing I'm hearing?
If my theory above is correct, then one of the traits of Sex Pistols-era punk may have been to refuse to modulate in the cutomary directions but to sing with a clearly working-class British accent.
Finally, I recall hearing the accents of some British and American actors of the 30's and 40's described as "Mid-Atlantic", meaning a conscious blend of some upper-class standard from each country. I don't know whether anyone ever really spoke this way off-screen. Is this a similar process?
Posted by: Prentiss Riddle on August 27, 2003 08:50 AMYes, even the Stones and the Beatles let some of their accents creep into a few songs. I've noticed the early talkie phenomenon, too. I guess all those dialog and diction coaches that were hired ended up creating some strange hybrid. And how to categorize Cary Grant's accent? I've known several people who grew up in the UK, but have lived a longish time here in the States. To my ear, they still sound British, but when they've visited overseas they're considered Yanks.
Posted by: jim on August 27, 2003 09:23 AMBritish and other pop musicians, with a few rare exceptions, modify their accents to sound American. They generally do it for the benefit of their domestic audiences but also with the hope of one day breaking into the US charts. These accents can range from passable good to absolutely comical (I thought the Romanian entry of this year's Eurovision was classic in weirdness).
Personally I have a lot more respect for artists who don't modify their accents but it's whatever sells records that counts.
Posted by: John Hardy on August 31, 2003 08:44 PMAmerican pop singers do it too. The accent that many country and western singers sing in is not their own.
Posted by: jim on September 5, 2003 06:24 AM