ling70 final flashcards NEW

folk linguistics

beliefs and assumptions about language held by non-experts that are often based on stereotypes rather than scientific evidence

example of folk linguistics belief

believing that saying “ain’t” means a person is uneducated

empirical observation about language

claims about language based on systematic research and data collection

example of empirical observation

studies showing that “like” functions as a discourse marker in conversation

observation (linguistics)

a statement describing a pattern in language use

example of observation

californians often use the word “dude” in casual speech

attribution (linguistics)

an explanation for why a linguistic pattern occurs

example of attribution

claiming people use “like” because they are unintelligent

difference between observation and attribution

observation describes what happens while attribution explains why it happens

example distinguishing observation vs attribution

observation: southerners say “y’all”; attribution: they say it because they are less educated

assuming the communicative burden

a model where listeners interpret meaning rather than assuming the speaker is wrong

example of assuming communicative burden

understanding a person’s accent instead of dismissing them as speaking incorrectly

folk linguistic paradigm

a system of beliefs people hold about language variation

availability in folk linguistics

how easily people recognize a language feature

example of availability

many americans know that southerners say “y’all”

accuracy in folk linguistics

how correct a belief about language actually is

example of inaccurate folk belief

believing slang equals bad grammar

detail in folk linguistic paradigm

the amount of specific information people have about language variation

example of detailed folk belief

californians say “hella” while southerners say “y’all”

linguistic facts of life

core principles accepted by linguists about language

language varies

language differs across regions, social groups, and contexts

example of language variation

some americans say “soda” while others say “pop”

language changes over time

words and grammar evolve across generations

example of language change

the word “awful” originally meant “full of awe”

linguistic variation and social meaning

language differences can signal identity or group membership

example of social meaning

using slang to signal membership in youth culture

accent

pattern of pronunciation associated with a group or region

example of accent

pronouncing “pen” and “pin” the same in some southern dialects

grammar

system of rules governing how words combine into sentences

example of grammar variation

saying “they was” instead of “they were”

word choice (lexicon)

the vocabulary used by speakers

example of word choice variation

saying “bucket” instead of “pail”

sentence structure

the arrangement of words into sentences

example of sentence structure variation

saying “he tall” instead of “he is tall”

perceptual dialectology

study of how people perceive and categorize dialect differences

example of perceptual dialectology

people describing southern speech as a “drawl”

salient linguistic feature

a language feature that people easily notice

example of salient feature

southerners saying “y’all”

unsalient linguistic feature

a feature people rarely notice even though it differs across dialects

example of unsalient feature

subtle vowel pronunciation differences

shibboleth

a linguistic feature used to identify membership in a group

example of shibboleth

pronouncing “ask” as “aks”

stereotype (linguistics)

a generalized belief about how a group speaks

example of stereotype

believing new yorkers are rude because of their speech style

highlighting in stereotyping

exaggerating a feature associated with a group

example of highlighting

claiming all californians say “dude”

erasure in stereotyping

ignoring variation within a group

example of erasure

assuming all southerners speak the same dialect

word rage

anger directed at particular words or linguistic forms

example of word rage

people complaining about the word “literally” being used figuratively

linguistic shaming

ridiculing someone for their language use

example of linguistic shaming

mocking someone for saying “ain’t”

linguistic gaslighting

convincing speakers that their natural language use is incorrect or irrational

example of linguistic gaslighting

telling young women their vocal fry makes no sense linguistically

formality

the level of casualness or seriousness in language use

example of formality difference

using “going to” in formal writing vs “gonna” in casual speech

formality variable

a linguistic feature that changes depending on level of formality

example of formality variable

pronouncing “running” vs “runnin”

cluster reduction

simplifying consonant clusters in speech

example of cluster reduction

saying “des” instead of “desk”

-ing variable

pronouncing “-ing” endings as “-in” in casual speech

example of -ing variable

saying “runnin” instead of “running”

ain’t

a nonstandard negative auxiliary used in informal english

example of ain’t usage

“she ain’t coming”

categorical variation

variation involving clearly distinct linguistic forms

example of categorical variation

using “y’all” vs “you all”

gradient variation

variation that changes gradually depending on context

example of gradient variation

increasing casual speech in informal settings

slang

informal vocabulary items used within social groups

example of slang

sus meaning suspicious

example of slang meaning change

sick meaning cool or impressive

verbal hygiene

attempts to regulate or correct language use

example of verbal hygiene

advising women to avoid vocal fry to sound professional

indirect structures

language forms that soften statements or requests

example of indirect structure

“would you mind opening the window”

perceived gender differences in speech

beliefs about differences between men’s and women’s language use

example of perceived difference

people claiming women say “like” more often

actual gender differences in speech

measurable differences found in linguistic studies

example of measured difference

women often have higher average vocal pitch

vocal fry

a creaky voice quality occurring at low pitch

example of vocal fry

perception that young women frequently end sentences with creaky voice

vowel dispersion

the spread of vowel pronunciations in speech

example of vowel dispersion

studies suggesting women may articulate vowels more distinctly

misattribution about female speech

false claims about how women speak

example of misattribution

women are naturally more indirect than men

discourse marker like

a word used to organize or structure conversation

example of discourse marker like

“there was like a huge dog outside”

quotative like

use of “like” to introduce speech or thoughts

example of quotative like

“she was like ‘that’s crazy’”

discourse marker dude

a casual address term used in conversation

example of discourse marker dude

“dude that movie was amazing”

limited english proficiency

partial ability to speak or understand english

example of limited english proficiency

a student who can hold basic conversations but struggles with academic english

full english proficiency

complete ability to communicate effectively in english

example of full english proficiency

a bilingual speaker fluent in english and another language

folk beliefs about non-native speakers

stereotypes about people learning english

example of folk belief

thinking immigrants refuse to learn english

bilingual education

program where students are taught in two languages

example of bilingual education

math taught in both spanish and english

assimilation

adopting the dominant culture or language