GRAMMATICALITY, DIALECTS, AND PRONUNCIATION (Vocabulary flashcards)

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering grammar types, standard varieties, RP/SSB/GA, dialects/accents, phonological processes, and sociolinguistic concepts from the notes.

Grammaticality

The distinction between what is described as grammatical (well-formed) or ungrammatical; reflects descriptive vs prescriptive views; no language is superior or more complex in principle.

Descriptive grammar

A description of how a language is actually used by speakers, including what native speakers consider grammatical.

Prescriptive grammar

Rules about “correct” forms imposed by language purists, often based on historical norms or Latin grammar.

Standard language

The prestige form used in schools, media, literature; includes established varieties like RP and SSB.

RP (Received Pronunciation)

Historic standard British English accent associated with the South/upper classes; often treated as the model of British pronunciation.

SSB (Standard Southern British English)

Standard British pronunciation variety representing southern speech patterns.

GA (General American)

A broad American English accent often treated as a neutral or standard American variety.

Cockney

Traditional working-class London accent; features include non-rhoticity and glottalization.

Estuary English

A London-influenced variety combining features of Cockney and RP; common in the southeast.

SSE (Scottish Standard English)

Standard English variety spoken in Scotland.

Dialect

A regional or social variety with its own phonology, lexicon, and grammar.

Accent

Phonetic/phonological realization of speech; can vary within a dialect without changing grammar.

Idiolect

The unique language pattern of an individual speaker.

Sociolinguistics

The study of how language varies and changes with social factors (e.g., sociolects).

Sociolect

A social-group variety of language tied to a particular social class or group.

Dialectal diversity

Variation across geography and social groups; dialects may diverge and become separate languages.

Dialect vs. accent

Dialect includes grammar and vocabulary; accent refers to phonetic realization only.

Non-rhotic

Dialects that do not pronounce /r/ in most contexts (e.g., much of Southern England historically).

Rhotic

Dialects that pronounce /r/ in all positions, including after vowels.

Phonology

The study of the sound system of a language, including processes like stress, shortening, and assimilation.

Glottal stop

Consonant [ʔ] produced by closing the glottis; common in Cockney/Estuary English variants.

Glottalization

Glottal replacement or reinforcement of sounds (e.g., final /t/ becomes [ʔ]).

Tapping

A variation of /t/ where it is pronounced as a quick [ɾ] (American English) or similar in some British varieties.

Aspiration

A burst of air after voiceless plosives (e.g., [kʰ], [pʰ], [tʰ]); varies by position and stress.

Affrication

Plosives like /t/ or /d/ pronounced with a [t͡s] or [d͡z] release, especially after /s/ (e.g., city [sɪt͡si]).

Th-fronting

Replacing /θ/ and /ð/ with [f] and [v] (e.g., think → fink, this → dis) in some dialects.

Broad vs. narrow transcription

Broad transcription omits fine details; narrow transcription includes precise phonetic nuances.

Diphthongization

Long vowels realized as diphthongs in certain dialects (e.g., iː → ij in SSB).

Lexical variation

Differences in vocabulary across dialects (e.g., lift/elevator, petrol/gas, freeway/turnpike).

Syntactic variation

Differences in sentence structure and word order across dialects (e.g., between you and me vs. I).

Semantics

Meaning of words and sentences in language.

Pragmatics

How context influences meaning and interpretation, including ambiguity.

Colorless green ideas sleep furiously

A classic example showing that a sentence can be syntactically correct yet semantically nonsensical.