Introdungcing English language part 12: 'In this exciting new textbook, Louise Mullany and Peter Stockwell have provided a fresh and imaginative set of alternatives for teaching and learning a huge amount about the English language. The book allows tor creative and lateral approaches to developing an understanding of important linguistic concepts and, together with the thought-provoking activities, and accessible readings, guarantees there is something to stimulate every learner. | 52 INTRODUCTION KEY BASIC CONCEPTS is generally known in the school as Asian Wall . Girls stand around in their high platform shoes skinny bell-bottoms and very small black T-shirts with hips cocked. As they toss their heads their long sleek black hair in some cases tinted brown swishes across their waists the slimness of which is emphasized by shiny belts. Some of them talk to lean on quiet-demeanoured boys with baggy jeans and baggy shirts with hair long on the top and shaved at the bottom. Linda turns away from her group of friends with a characteristic head toss bringing her hair around her shoulders and with an exaggerated high-rise intonation on the pronoun she calls to a boy who is standing nearby. What are you Another girl Adrienne who happens to be walking by answers on his behalf. He s Japanese-Filipino. The boy smiles silently and Linda turns back to her friends. Eckert and McConnell-Ginet 1999 121 In addition to these ethnographic observations Eckert also carries out very detailed quantitative analyses from recorded data of phonological and grammatical linguistic variables from a large number of realisations of phonetic and grammatical features over time. These quantitative studies are statistically tested and enable her to make valid and reliable arguments from her findings regarding language regional identities social identities and adolescence. Eckert 2009 contrasts the ethnographic approach which she took at Belten High with what she describes as a quick and dirty method of briefly going into various other schools in the surrounding area to examine the phonological manifestations of her adolescent identity categories. This method which shares similarities with Labov s rapid method described above enabled Eckert to place her phonological analysis on a broad geographical continuum for the whole of the suburban region where her research took place. In a reflexive evaluation of her own methodological practice she notes that the quick and dirty method .
