4. Languages and Dialects

Dialect boundary

"bundles of isoglosses." When several isoglosses coincide, one can speak of a dialect boundary.

dialect continuum/ dialect chain

Exist when variations are small between local villages, but eventually lead to different languages across international borders.

A dialect differs from another variety in terms of.....

Pronunciation, grammar, and syntax

Register, formal and informal language

Register- different levels of formality depending on occasion Formal- "vous" in french, when talking to elders, teachers or strangers. Informal- slang. or "tu" in spanish and french

Accent

concerns only differences in pronunciation. One can speak standard english in a variety of accents

What kinds of meaning can be expressed when speaking a non-standard variety of language?

many different meanings can be expressed. however since it isn't standardized not everyone will interpret it the same way.

What is a standard language?

(also called standard dialect) is a language variety used by a group of people in their public discourse.

Regional Dialect

A distinct form of a language spoken in a particular geographical area

Isogloss

A line marking a boundary between specific features of a dialect

How was French standard created?

Académie Française- 1635; formed to codify and preserve the purity of french. Indo-European family

American Dialects, AAVE

African American Vernacular English (AAVE)

How are stigma and prestige associated with dialects?

All dialects carry with them social information about the status and education of the speaker. Dialects, regionalisms and the use of the Standard all have varying degrees of prestige or stigma associated with them. Regional varieties can have prestige, or can be stigmatized.

How was German standard created?

Indo-European family. germanic language. -Language socieites are formed in the 17th century to promote the use of german, but they have little popular appeal. -German literature emerges around 1770 with the classical writing of Johann Goethe and Friedrich Schiller. -Konrad Duden publishes his first dictionary of German in 1880, and in 1902 it becomes the official standard. reformed a bit and is now taught in schools and used in government docs.

How was the American standard created?

Indo-European. began by distinguishing it from british through changes in spelling and punctuation. Noah Webster- New England lawyer and scholar. Webster's Speller (1783) and American Dictionary of the English Language (1828) helped standardize. printing process also helped.

How was British standard created?

Indo-European. standardized by the court in london in the 9th century. became accepted for use in law, government, literature, and education. Dictionaries like Oxford English Dictionary and Longman Dictionary of contemporary english help standardize.

What dialect of english do you speak? do you speak multiple varieties of English?

Lowland southern, Just one.

Dialectology

The branch of linguistics concerned with the study of dialects.

Dialect geography (N.O.R.M.s= non-mobile, older, rural, males)

The practice of plotting of dialects on a map. Field workers ask people how they say certain things- ideal people to ask are the "NORMS". many dialect atlases were made this.

Social Dialect

can be used to describe social patterns of speech. varieties based on social groupings, class, ethnicity, cultural group, religion, age, sex, education

Isogloss bundles

a group of close isoglosses running in approximately the same direction, especially when taken as evidence of an important dialect division.

Dialect

a particular form of a language that is particular to a specific region or social group.

What is language variety?

a set of linguistic items with similar distribution.

Idiolect

an individual's distinctive and unique use of language, including vocab, grammar, and pronunciation.

Patois

regional variety without a literary tradition. French term for vernacular. Typically negative, language of the uneducated

Bell's 7 criteria for language evaluation

standardization, vitality, historicity, autonomy, reduction, mixture, de facto norms associated with the language

How is a standard language chosen, created, maintained? Ex:....

standards are not natural- they need to be created, engineered, invented, and maintained. -Sometimes an existing dialect is reworked over time to become the standard. (ex: parisian french) -sometimes a variety of dialects are used to make a common standard (high german) -sometimes different varieties are standardized: Norway has two standard versions of their language. -Dictionaries, grammars, literary texts, and teachers are all necessary to present and maintain the standard. -standards are often based on the language of the elite, or becomes the language of the elite.

Vernacular

term that describes the language one grows up in and speaks in everyday use. (often has negative connotation concerning the standard language.

"Received Pronunciation", a non-regional accent

the standard form of British english pronunciation, based on educated speech in Southern England. A social dialect.

Ethnolect

variety of a language associated with a certain ethnic or cultural subgroup. it may be a distinguishing mark of social identity, both within the group and for outsiders. the term combines the concept of an ethnic group and a dialect.