JM

Chapter 10: Language Variation

Language Varieties

  • Language variety- any form of language characterized by systematic features
    • Can reference a distinct language, a particular form of language spoken by a specific group, a single person, or the way a specific person speaks in a particular context
    • Idiolect- the speech habits that are unique to a particular person
    • Sociolinguistics- the study of the relationship between language varieties and social structure as well as the interrelationships among different language varieties
  • Dialect- any variety of language spoken by a group of people that is characterized by systematic differences from other varieties of the same language in terms of structural or lexical features
    • Speech community- a group of people speaking the same dialect
    • Extralinguistic factors- factors not based in linguistic structure
    • Region, socioeconomic status, age, gender, ethnicity, etc
    • Communicative isolation- the result of a group of speakers forming a coherent speech community relatively isolated from speakers outside of that community
  • Mutual intelligibility- if speakers of one language variety can understand speakers of another language variety
    • Dialects of the same language
    • Dialect continuum- a situation where each dialect in a large number of geographically contiguous dialects is closely related to the next, but the dialects at either end of the continuum are mutually unintelligible
  • Speech styles- systematic variations in speech based on factors such as topic, setting, and addressee.
    • Registers- different levels of speech formality (Formal, informal, casual, etc)
    • Style shifting- automatically adjusting from one speech style to another
  • Jargon- technical words that differ only in lexical items that are specific to a job, field of study, sport, etc
    • Jargon is clearly understood by those within the field in which it is spoken, but is incomprehensible to outsiders
  • Slang- less formal stylistic choices in vocabulary
    • Common slang- neutral everyday language that most people consider more informal
    • In-group slang- specialized slang of a particular group at a particular time
    • can be used to keep insiders together or to exclude outsiders
  • Linguistically speaking, no one dialect or language is better, more systematic, or more logical than any other
  • Standard dialect- the variety of a language used by the social group that “represents” that language
  • Prescriptive standard- the standard by which people often make judgements of “right” and “wrong”
    • These judgements are not linguistically founded but are instead governed by societal opinion
  • Standard American English- the standard dialect in the United States
  • Bidialectal- having mastered two dialects
  • Overt prestige- attached to a particular variety by the community at large and defines how people should speak in order to gain status in the wider community
  • Covert prestige- exists among members of nonstandard-speaking communities and defines how people should speak in order to gain status in the wider community

Variation at Different Levels of Linguistic Structure

  • Phonetic variation
    • Differences at the phonetic level tend to be those where a sound that functions the same in the linguistic systems of two varieties has some @@difference in its physical characteristics@@
    • Every utterance produced is somewhat different
  • Phonological Variation
    • Differences at the phonological level tend to be those where @@different phonemes are used in words that are semantically and historically the “same” words@@
    • Differences are also found depending on what sequences of sounds are allowed
  • Morphological Variation
    • Depends on the @@distribution of morphemes@@ in two varieties or the @@use of completely different morphemes@@ for the same function in two varieties
  • Syntactic Variation
    • Differences are found in the @@properties of words and phrases@@, as well as @@the way words are put together to form phrases and sentences@@
    • Variation is also seen in how words are combined, and the use of verbs
  • Lexical Variation
    • Differences in the @@words people use to mean the same thing@@ or to refer to the same object, or @@differences in what the same word means or refers to@@

Factors Influencing Variation: Regional and Geographic Factors

  • Regional variation- the type of variation based on geographical boundaries
  • Dialectologists- people who study regional dialects
  • Isoglosses- lines that mark the geographic boundaries of linguistic form
    • a bundle of isoglosses mark the boundaries between dialects
  • Regional and geographic influences:
    • Proximity
    • Physical boundaries (rivers, mountains, etc)

Factors Influencing Variation: Social Factors

  • Reasons for socioeconomic effects:
    • Desire to associate with certain groups
  • Language varieties differ between younger and older generations
  • Cultural patters of masculinity and femininity influence language variation
  • Ethnicity influences variation in multi-ethnic communities

Language and Identity

  • Signals of identity through language can be overt or subtle
    • The speaker can use words to tell one about their identity
    • The speaker can choose certain words over others to express their identity
    • The speaker can sometimes choose which language they speak in to express their identity