Quote by Thomas Hardy on dialects as marks of social class.
Focus on social dialects in sociolinguistics.
End of quarter participation survey details:
Access from Week 11 module.
Open until December 6 at 11:59 pm.
Scheduled on Canvas for Wednesday, December 11.
Opens at 12:01 am and closes at 11:59 pm (24-hour window).
110 minutes to complete after starting (do not start after 10:10 pm).
Total points: 65-70.
DRS extended time managed via Canvas – contact instructor if issue arises.
Covered topics:
Distinctions between 'standard' and 'nonstandard' dialects.
Concepts of overt vs. covert prestige in dialects.
The role of social dialects with variations in ethnicity, social class, and gender.
Assigned Readings: Sections 10.4 – 10.5.
Discussion question: Which U.S. regional dialect is considered the most correct?
Options: The North, The Midland, The South, The West.
No dialect is linguistically superior or inferior.
All dialects are systematic and logical in their own contexts.
Standard Dialect:
Utilized by political leaders, media, upper classes; often taught in schools.
Considered the 'prestige' dialect.
Non-standard Dialect:
Refers to any dialect not recognized as 'standard'.
Not synonymous with terms like 'substandard', 'incorrect', or 'ungrammatical'.
Defined primarily by syntactic rather than phonological features.
Prestige associated with standard dialects is arbitrary and not based on linguistic merit.
Overt Prestige:
Linked to standard dialects; indicates societal expectations for status.
Covert Prestige:
Associated with nonstandard dialects; valued by specific groups within the community.
Occurs when individuals use nonstandard forms mistakenly, aiming for overt prestige:
Examples:
Phonological: Intrusive 'r' in r-less dialects ("The idea(r) is...").
Syntactic: Cases like "Let’s keep this between you and I." and "Whom is calling?".
Social situation (speech style).
Age (use of slang).
Occupation (industry jargon).
Geography (regional dialects).
Ethnicity, Gender, and Social status/class affecting social dialects.
Overview of African-American English (AAE):
A diverse continuum primarily spoken among African-Americans.
Not exclusive to or indicative of a lack of education.
Differentiates from stereotypes such as "black slang".
a. Multiple Negation:
Example: "He don’ know nothin.’"
Comparable to Spanish and Middle English forms.
b. Absence of 'to be':
Example: "He __ my brother."
Parallels in other languages like Russian.
c. Absence of 3rd Person Singular '–s':
Example: "He eat five times a day."
AAE/SAE speakers may switch to AAE to identify positively with the community:
Reasons include seeking overt or covert prestige.
William Labov's NYC 'r' study:
Analyzed speech among salespeople in different department stores: Saks (upper class), Macy's (middle class), S. Klein (lower class).
Methodology included casual and careful speech samples.
Results:
Percentage of [ɹ]’s production increased with socioeconomic class and attention to speech.
Pronunciation of [ɹ] correlates with social class:
Lower classes use fewer [ɹ]’s.
Significant intra-speaker variation largely seen in lower classes, highlighting the role of overt prestige.
Distinctions between biological sex (male vs. female) and social gender (masculine vs. feminine):
Women's voices generally higher in pitch.
Social speech norms see women using 'standard' forms more frequently compared to men.
Notable cultural variations in norms around speech:
Direct vs. indirect speech preferences across cultures.
Language and dialect serve as crucial indicators of group identity.