Activities

Make a list of non-standard grammatical constructions, such as verb tenses or negative statements, that you come across while listening to the radio or watching a television programme. Programmes that feature members of the public - radio phone-ins or 'reality' television shows - are ideally suited for this activity. Try and categorise each construction according to the following criteria:

• Which constructions seem to be used more by younger speakers?
• Which constructions seem to be used more by older speakers?
• Which constructions do you hear very frequently?
• Which constructions only occur very rarely?

Listen to a selection of recordings on this site (between five and ten from different parts of the UK) and make a list of non-standard grammatical constructions. Try and categorise each construction according to the following criteria:

• Which constructions do you associate with younger speakers?
• Which constructions do you associate with older speakers?
• Which constructions do you hear frequently in your area?
• Which constructions have you never heard in your area?

Listen to a selection of Traditional Dialect recordings on this site and make a list of non-standard grammatical constructions. Which of these constructions do you consider no longer widely used? Try and categorise each construction according to the following criteria:

• Which constructions do you hear frequently in your area?
• Which constructions have you never heard in your area?
• Which constructions do you associate with older speakers?

Look at the list (below) of 'unmediated' recordings featured on this site. Listen to a couple of recordings - one from near where you live and another in a different part of the country - and list any non-standard grammatical constructions. Try and categorise each construction according to the following criteria:

• Which constructions do you associate with younger speakers?
• Which constructions do you associate with older speakers?
• Which constructions do you hear frequently in your area?
• Which constructions have you never heard in your area?