Jenny Cheshire's Reading Study

Jenny Cheshire used long-term participant observation to gain data about the relationship between use of grammatical variables and adherence to peer group culture by boys and girls in Reading. She gained acceptance from three groups (two of boys, one of girls) in two adventure playgrounds in Reading and recorded how often they used each of eleven variables:

1. non-standard -s	They calls me all the names under the sun
2. non-standard has	You just has to do what the teachers tell you.
3. non-standard was	You was with me, wasn't you?
4. negative concord	It ain't got no pedigree or nothing.
5. non-standard never	I never went to school today.
6. non-standard what	Are you the little bastards what hit my son over the head?
7. non-standard do	She cadges, she do.
8. non-standard come	I come down here yesterday.
9. ain't = auxiliary have	I ain't seen my Nan for nearly seven years.
10. ain't = auxiliary be	Course I ain't going to the Avenue.
11. ain't = copula	You ain't no boss.

For the girls she made a distinction between the girls who did not have positive attitudes to such group activities as carrying weapons, fighting, participation in minor criminal activities, preferred job, dress and hairstyle and use of swearing (Group A) and those who approved of these features and activities (Group B). She then set out how often the two groups used eight of the variables already defined.
These figures are as follows:

Frequency indices for eight variables for two groups of girls (Cheshire. 1982b)

	Group A girls	Group B girls
non-s 5	25.84	57.27
non-s has	36.36	35.85
non-s was	63.64	80.95
negative concord	12.5	58.7
non-s never	45.45	41.07
non-s what	33.33	5.56
non-s come	30.77	90.63
ain't = copula	14.29	67.12

Similar findings when boys against boys and when boys against girls were compared, showed clearly that those who conformed to the conventions of the group also used the linguistic standards of the group - and that conforming boys conformed most of all.

In short, the language of the group was an integral part of the group.