Reading Working Papers in Linguistics 4 (2000) - The University of ...

SOCIOLINGUISTIC VARIATION AND CHANGE IN URBAN INDIA
accounted for a large amount of the variation in the data (both significant at
the 1% level). Inter-caste differences become apparent from table 6 below:
Table 6. Parameter estimates for ‘caste’
Parameter Estimate
Scheduled -1.04
Backward -0.42
Maratha -0.92
Brahmin 0.00
Brahmin children used standard lexical items most frequently, while, among
the Non-Brahmins, it was once again the children from the Backward group
who used the standard variants most frequently. The Maratha children in this
instance scored higher than the Scheduled group.
Similarly, girls (93.2%) and middle class children (90.3%) scored
significantly higher than boys (85.2%) and working class children (77.0%)
respectively. The significant caste-class interaction effect (p < 5%) helps us
to identify the social locations of linguistic difference more precisely. Figure
5 below displays graphically the sharp class stratification across the three
Non-Brahmin caste groups. Scheduled group children score the least among
the working class, and Marathas among the middle class. Note the minimal
differences in the lexical scores of the working class and middle class
Brahmin children. The scores of the middle class Brahmin, BC and
Scheduled group children too are very similar.
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