Multicultural London English: the new multiethnolect in Inner London City
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Date
2023-04-17Author
Fernández Vila, Ainhoa
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The city of London, as many others in Europe, has been home for many immigrant families all over the years. Through interaction between immigrant and native British children, new and ethnically mixed friend groups have been created in the inner city of London. Along with the interaction, English spoken in these groups, and English in the areas where these heterogeneous peer groups are, has changed. The changes that English has suffered are to be called innovations, and the new multiethnolect formed thanks to these young working-class varieties of speakers is called Multicultural London English (MLE). Multiple language contacts due to social interaction is what has made MLE arise, diffuse and solidify as a new dialect possible. Because of this, it may be said that children and adolescents are of the utmost importance regarding the creation of MLE, as well as any other dialect or variety. The purpose of this paper is to examine the development, formation, spread, and characteristics that constitute MLE, as well as the perception that the British media generate of this multiethnolect, which makes more difficult the acceptance of the inner London city's new variety. For the mentioned purpose, I have structured the paper into four main sections. The first section will be devoted to a quick overview of London's sociohistorical background. The second one will highlight the characteristics of MLE, and two experiments will demonstrate which MLE innovations are most significant among young Londoners and that MLE is an ethnically neutral variety. Thirdly, I will discuss the sociolinguistic factors in MLE and how all play a part in the development of a new dialect. Finally, I'll briefly discuss the British media's unfavourable attitudes regarding MLE. I will conclude with a brief summary of the key points of this paper.