Language Lecture

Page 1: Introduction

• Advocacy for language rights and community development.

• Focus on the importance of language rights as a facet of human rights.

Page 2: Language and Communication

• Language as a symbolic communication system reflecting cultural norms and values.

• Impact of language on all aspects of life, often taken for granted.

• Language shapes thought; will focus on sociolinguistics, the study of language in social and cultural contexts.

Page 3: Sociolinguistics

• Definition of sociolinguistics: relationship between language and society.

• Influence of social categories (age, gender, ethnicity, occupation, class) on distinctive speech styles.

• Gendered speech varies across social and cultural settings.

• Interest in dialects reflecting geographic, occupational, or social class factors, maintaining mutual intelligibility.

Page 4: Language Variation, Dialects, and Attitudes

• Exploration of how language variation manifests through dialects, and perception of those variations in society.

Page 5: Language and Identity in Northern Ireland

• Areas sociolinguists examine:

  • Regional and social dialects.

  • Ethno-national identity indexing.

  • Multilingualism and nationalism as political projects.

  • Place names, parity of esteem, language and conflict.

  • Language revitalization and education.

Page 6: Language Variation and Social Identity

• Identity as a constructed, negotiated performance that evolves over time.

• Speech as a key indicator of identity and social information.

Page 7: Language's Role in Identity Construction

• Language used to signify group membership and aspects of social identity.

• Factors influencing identity: social status, age, gender, ethnicity, social networks.

• Different languages or speech characteristics can unify or separate speakers.

Page 8: Understanding Identity

• Identities are complex constructions shaped by social contexts.

• Identity as flexible and fluid, co-constructed through interactions.

• Enactment of identities occurs daily through behavior.

Page 9: Idiolect vs. Dialect

• Idiolect: individual language variety; Dialect: shared linguistic characteristics within a group.

• Focus on dialects for this section.

Page 10: Speech Communities

• Definition of speech communities includes linguistic and social aspects.

• Members share grammar rules and standards for evaluating language, although individual speech may differ slightly.

Page 11: Dialect Defined

• Variations of language linked to geographic areas; complete communication systems.

• Speakers of dialects remain mutually intelligible, while speakers of different languages often do not.

Page 12: Dialect and its Variants

• Differentiation from:

  • Sociolects: language variety of a social class.

  • Standard languages: government-endorsed, main languages in education/media.

  • Jargons: characterized by specific vocabulary.

  • Slang: informal language usages.

Page 13: Standard vs. Nonstandard Dialects

• Standard dialects possess institutional support while nonstandard dialects do not, although both have vocabulary and grammar.

• Dialects can be categorized as regional or social.

Page 14: Regional Variation

• Regional dialects vary across geographical locations, showcasing different pronunciations, word choices, and syntax.

• Examples of regional variances in terms and pronunciation.

• No dialect is better than another; they simply differ.

Page 15: American vs. Irish English

• Examples of differing words:

  • "deadly" and "shift" in Irish English.

  • "chips" vs. "fries."

  • Use of "crack" in Irish English versus "craic."

Page 16: Amusement in Regional Differences

• Regional differences can be humorous but can also carry social significance.

• Historical example: Old Testament group's use of pronunciation to test group membership.

• In Northern Ireland: "telling" used for in-group and out-group identification.

Page 17: Social Dialects

• Social dialects arise among specific social groups influenced by class, religion, and ethnicity.

• Factors include occupation, residence, education, cultural background.

• Speech differences can distinguish sub-groups effectively.

Page 18: Understanding Social Class

• Class is complex, varying significantly globally.

• Language communities possess a hierarchy based on wealth and power influence (defined as class).

• Class is nebulous and involves lifestyle choices beyond economic measures.

Page 19: Style and Registers

• Style relates to formality in speech, influenced by circumstance.

• Registers are language sets associated with specific groups.

Page 20: Misconceptions about Dialects

• Dialects are not substandard or incorrect.

• Everyone speaks a dialect; all are equal in linguistics.

Page 21: The Problem with Accent

• Accent: characteristics of pronunciation linked to groups.

• Accents differ from dialects and are fundamental to identity.

Page 22: Language Attitudes

• Language attitudes drive variation and choices in language use.

• Often unacknowledged, these attitudes wield significant power in how languages are perceived.