My Idiolect

My Idiolect contains quite a few fillers such as 'um' and 'err'. I normally use these when I can't think of what to say or when I forget what I was about to say. I use fillers out of habbit now but I think they are used in general to try and retain the attention of the listener. I have notcied that I also use the word 'like' constantly when I speak. I think this is a very common American term to use and has possibly been fed through to us by television programmes. It could also be a very easy habbit to pick up off of your friends as they tend to have a significant influence in the way you speak.

Along with my Bristolian  dialect, I also have a few habits in my body language when I am being spoken to. Two of my most common habits are fiddling with my hair or touching my ear. I think I do this because I feel a bit awkward and uneasy talking to people that I do not know and and by playing with my hair, it keeps me distracted from feeling like this. When I listen to people speaking  I tilt my head to the side slightly, I guess this could show that you are concentrating and really trying to understand what you are being told.

One word I dislike saying is my name. I dont like to say my name outloud to people because I feel as if I say it wrong even though it's my own name. Another reason I dislike saying my name is because on the rare occasion I am miss heard and mistaken for "juicey"  I have even been called "gypsie" before, then I feel awkward because I have to correct them unless it's someone I will never see again so I won't bother correcting them.

Finally I noticed that the pitch of my voice changes depending on the mood I am in. When I am annoyed or angry. I don't really know why I do this but one way of looking at it is a warning that I am in this mood and to not make me any more annoyed. I also raise the pitch of my voice when I am on the phone to make me seem more friendly rather than using my usual grumpy tone.