File 10: Language Variation — Vocabulary Flashcards

A vocabulary-focused set of flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes on language variation, dialects, social factors, and identity.

language variety

A cover term for any form of language with systematic features, including languages, dialects, idiolects, speech communities, and registers.

dialect

A language variety spoken by a group that differs systematically from other varieties of the same language in structure or lexicon.

idiolect

The unique way an individual speaks, distinguished from the idiolects of others.

speech community

A group defined by extralinguistic factors (e.g., region, SES, age, gender, ethnicity) that shares language practices.

register

A variety of language used for a particular setting or purpose, reflecting topic, setting, and addressee.

accent

Phonological variation in how a language is spoken; every speaker has an accent, which is not the same as a dialect.

style shifting

Automatically adjusting speech style to fit audience or social context.

jargon

Technical or specialized vocabulary used within a specific field or profession.

slang

Informal, often time-limited vocabulary that signals group membership or social context.

common slang

Neutral, everyday slang used broadly and not tied to a specific group.

in-group slang

Slang used by a particular group to include insiders and exclude outsiders.

overt prestige

Prestige attached to the standard or higher-status variety in a community.

covert prestige

Prestige valued within nonstandard-speaking communities, linked to belonging.

Standard American English (SAE)

The prestige, rule-governed American English variety used in education and media; grammar-focused rather than pronunciation-centric.

Received Pronunciation (RP)

The British standard accent and associated prestige in Britain, also called BBC English or the Queen’s English.

mutual intelligibility

If speakers of two language varieties can understand each other, they are typically considered dialects of the same language.

dialect continuum

A sequence of dialects where neighboring varieties are mutually intelligible, but the end points are not.

isogloss

A geographic boundary marking where a linguistic feature occurs.

bundle of isoglosses

Several isogloss lines that together mark dialect boundaries in a region.

Northern Cities Shift

A set of vowel-space changes in the Northern U.S. that alters pronunciation patterns (e.g., bag/bat).

non-rhotic

A phonological pattern in which /r/ is not pronounced before a consonant or at the end of a word.

rhotic

A phonological pattern in which /r/ is pronounced in all positions.

/l/-vocalization

Ending /l/ is realized as a vowel or glide in some dialects, rather than as a clear consonant.

a-prefixing

Appalachian English feature where para-verb forms take an prefix a-, as in He come a-running.

habitual be

In African-American English, using be uninflected to indicate habitual action/state (The coffee be cold).

copula absence

Omission of forms of be in present-tense clauses (e.g., John going to the store).

double modal

Using two modals to express tentativeness (e.g., I might could help you).

needs washed

Morphological variation where the past participle is omitted (The table needs washed) common in some dialects.

reflexive pronouns hisself/theirselves

Regularization in some dialects where reflexives use hisself/theirselves instead of himself/themselves.

pro-drop language

A language in which subject pronouns can be omitted (e.g., hablo español).

African-American English (AAE)

A dialect of English with features such as monophthongization, word-final consonant cluster reduction, copula absence, and habitual be.

Chicano English

A dialect of English spoken by many Mexican-descent speakers in the U.S.; shows influence from Spanish in phonology and syntax.

Lumbee English

A distinctive English dialect spoken by the Lumbee tribe with unique phonetic and morphosyntactic traits.

Martha’s Vineyard: centralization

Labov’s case study showing centralization of diphthongs linked to island identity and social grouping.

language and identity

Language choices can signal or construct social identity, affiliations, and group membership.

signaling identity

Overt signals (stating affiliation) or covert signals (linguistic choices) that convey belonging or distance to groups.

observer’s paradox

The difficulty of studying natural language use because being studied can cause speakers to alter their speech.

discourse analysis

A method of examining linguistic data in extended conversations to study how identities are constructed.

community of practice

A group of people who share a craft or activity and develop shared linguistic practices and identities.

etymology of perception: identity

Listeners may categorize phonemes differently depending on perceived gender cues, illustrating voice-perception effects on identity.