LINGUIST List 8.1665

Thu Nov 20 1997

Sum: Broadcast English

Editor for this issue: Elaine Halleck <elainelinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Alan Smith, Broadcast English

On 6 November I posted a request for information on changes in 
broadcast English since the early 1960s. As I suspected, there seems 
to be a general consensus that linguistic forms typical of 
spontaneous conversation are increasingly to be found in official 
domains such as the media, as part of a tendency towards 
"inclusiveness" or "democratisation". This is probably true both of 
American and British English.

However, the references I have followed up indicate that writers 
describing these changes are basing their conclusions on impressions 
and anecdotal evidence rather than on any solid quantitative 
research carried out on the diachronic plane, which perhaps opens up 
a door of opportunity for me.

I would like to thank the following people for their very helpful 
replies:

Anthea Gupta
Bradley Harris
Gerald Nelson
Geoffrey Sampson
Peter Daniels

Alan Smith,
School of Modern Languages, Dept of French
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
U.K. E-mail: alan.smithncl.ac.uk
Fax: (0191)2225442