Harry Potter and the different accents. A sociolinguistic study of language attitudes in Harry

Abstract

This MA Thesis deals with the aspect of language attitudes portrayed in popular media, more specifically in Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. The main aim is to see whether there is a systematic correlation between character traits and accents, and if these correlations can be seen between Harry Potter and Game of Thrones as well as individually. The hypothesis is that a systematic correlation will be found, but that there will be some differences as Harry Potter and Game of Thrones have different target groups. Another aim is to compare the findings for this thesis with results from previous attitudinal research, and to this effect several studies are included in the theoretical background chapter. Three are societal treatment studies, as the present thesis is, and three deals with attitudes to different varieties of English.