Newwbie here! Help with English Language A2 AQA A!!!

OMG u just described my situationnnnnn!!!!! Tbh I haven't got any language & ethnicity notes, but I had done an essay for language variation & ethnicity came up. I used Milroy's open & closed network theory, which is pretty good in explaining ethnicity's influence on language.

Milroy's Closed + Open Network theory (this is my understanding/version of the theory, with added points): The theory suggests that a person whose personal contacts all know each other belong to a closed network. An individual whose contacts tend to not know each other, belong to an open network. So a person coming from a closed network, ethnicity being the central point, will have the capacity to enforce linguistic norms - depending on how closely-knit the group is. However, the individual may also belong to an open network, in which the individual is linked in several ways, i.e. jobs, leisure, etc. This is said to be a multiplex network, but of low network strength.

If ethnicity is central to a closed network group + if the network strength is high, pidgins + creoles might evolve. Consequently, will affect their use of English. If the creoles are spoken by the second generation of the closed network group, it will become a dialect, affecting the individual's sociology + idiolect.


I hope that was helpful, coz it it took me time to type this out.