exam 1: accents, pidgins, creoles

dialects

form of language that are mutually intelligible
differ from other forms of language
differences can be grammatical phonic, and/or lexical

how dialects are created?

intentional community, race, generation

prestige dialect

society = some dialects are more powerful than other

accent

phonological distinction that gives information about a speaker’s dialect
accent is a part of dialect

what makes an accent

class, ethnicity, parental background,

pidgins

“contact languages” that occur when speakers of different language need to learn how to talk to one another; happens rapidly linguistic terms (usually within one generation or 10-15 years)

how pidgins are made?

often related to trade, religion, military occupation
specific to kind of contact needed

pidgin trends

lexis: closer to dominant group
syntax/grammar: closer to non-dominant group, easier to gain new vocab then vocab

Creoles

are kind of the next generation of pidgins
is practical and artificial
for a specific purpose between two difference groups
creoles are understood as native languages

Anglicist( Dialectologist) Hypothesis

AAE developed as enslaved people came into contact w/ already-English speaking indentured servants and adapted their ways of speaking to them

Creoles Hypothesis

AAE has its origins in West African/English pidgins that developed during slave trade

William Labov Principals

has its own phonological and syntactic rules (its not “bad or “ungrammatical” English but is distinct)
in US, it started in the South and has spread elsewhere, so although regional variation of AAE exist, remain mutually intelligible
AAE has turned influenced Southern dialect
Creole hypothesis is linguistically similar to current Caribbean creoles
system of tenses/aspect is more complex than other forms of English

pre-recent tense

“i been seen it”

recent

“done seen it”

immediate

“ima see it”

post-immediate

“ima going see it”

indefinite future

“i gonna see it”

completive

indicates an action has been complete, take “done” as its auxiliary
ex: he done walked there

habitual

indicates an action has been going on for a while and takes “been” as it auxiliary, been going on for a while
ex: he been walking to school

durative

indicates an action went on for a while but its stopped, uses “been” as auxiliary but pounces it with more emphasis (like “bin”)
ex: he BIN walking