Sociolinguistics (Chapter Eleven)

structured variation

Linguistic patterns that are variable but predictable

social stratification

The speech patterns often found systematically across social groups, reinforcing language ideologies

sociolinguistics

Investigates the range of interactional, social, cultural, and political uses and meanings of language

dialect

A variety of a language that is characteristic of a group defined on the basis of a factor like geography, race, or ethnicity

regional variety

Version of a language found in certain areas

mutual intelligibility

The ability to understand someone speaking a variety of a language

accent

Only the phonological characteristics of a variety

merger

Loss of contrast between two sounds, two phonemes become one

split

2 contrastive sounds emerge from an earlier single phoneme

double modal

Verb combinations like “might could”

language diversity and variety

It is normal for multiple languages to be used within a community, one person, or even in one utterance, and that one is normal for speakers to speak in different ways due to social and situational factors

rhoticity

Feature of some types of English where one pronounces the liquid version of r in any position it may be in

non-rhoticity

Variation of English wherein one only pronounces r before a vowel

negative concord

Markings of negation in more than one possible grammatical position

invariant be

Same form of be for all person/number, typically indicates future tense (will be) or habitual nature

zero-copula

A sense of are, is, be, and been and instead left out as an implied verb, only in the present tense

African American Vernacular English (AAVE)

Variety of English found largely in the African American community that contains many variations from “standard” English