DIALECTOLOGY AND SOCIOLINGUISTICS

• Dialectology


  The study of different accents and dialects and how they vary in vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation
• Accent


  Distinct pronunciation of words, associated with social or regional groups
• Dialect


  Distinct varieties of a language in which syntax and lexis are different from other varieties, associated with social or regional groups
• All speakers of a language have an accent
• Linguists do not define different varieties of a language as right or wrong
• Top 5 most recognized dialects of British English

  • Scouse (Liverpool)
  • Geordie (Newcastle)
  • Brummie (Birmingham)
  • Cockney (London)
  • Manc (Manchester)
• Prescriptive view of accents and dialects

  Different varieties are inherently better or worse than others
• Descriptive view of accents and dialects

  Change between varieties is an inevitable part of language
• Accents and dialects are everywhere from direct contact with individuals, to variation on television, radio and film
• Accents are part of everyone's identity, so everyone is keen to comment on them
• Isogloss


  Separates areas which share a common linguistic feature, such as vocabulary or pronunciation
• Diglossia


  A person is at home with two distinct varieties of a language, using a 'high' variety for official occasions and a 'low' variety for daily conversation
• Creole


  Languages formed when speakers of many languages come into contact with each other, originating as pidgins
• Development of creoles


  1. Start as pidgins, then children turn them into creoles with grammatical rules

  2. As they age, creoles tend to become more grammatically complex, a process called decreolization
• Dialect


  A variety of a language that signals where a person comes from
• Types of dialect


  • Regional dialect
  • Class dialect
  • Occupational dialect
• Dialects


  Chiefly distinguished from other dialects of the same language by features of linguistic structure—i.e., grammar (specifically morphology and syntax) and vocabulary
• Dialectal differences in vocabulary

  • American English subway vs. British English underground
  • Corn (maize in US, Canada, Australia, wheat in England, oats in Scotland)
• Accent


  Aspects of the sound system of a language, such as vowels, consonants, and intonation
• Dialects of the same language are considered to be mutually intelligible, while different languages are not</b>
• Intelligibility between dialects is, however, almost never absolutely complete
• Speakers of closely related languages can still communicate to a certain extent when each uses his own mother tongue
• The distinction between dialects and related languages is easier to make in more-developed societies because of the existence of standard languages
• Linguistic varieties that are considered dialects in one set of historical circumstances may be considered languages in another
• Geographic dialects


  The most widespread type of dialectal differentiation, where the speech of one locality differs at least slightly from that of any other place
• Geographic dialects


  • Differences between neighbouring local dialects are usually small, but differences accumulate when traveling farther in the same direction
  • Every dialectal feature has its own boundary line, called an isogloss
  • Isoglosses of various linguistic phenomena rarely coincide completely, and by crossing and interweaving they constitute intricate patterns on dialect maps
  • Several isoglosses are frequently grouped approximately together into a bundle of isoglosses, caused by geographic obstacles, political borders, or migrations
• Geographic dialects


  • Yankee English of Cape Cod or Boston
  • Russian of Moscow or Smolensk
  • Delaware Valley English
  • Australian English
  • Tuscan Italian
• Regional dialects have some internal variation, but the differences within a regional dialect are supposedly smaller than differences between two regional dialects of the same rank
• In some areas, the dialectal differentiation is essentially even, making it hardly justified to speak of regional dialects
• Bundles of isoglosses or a single isogloss of major importance permit the division of a territory into regional dialects
• Social dialects


  Dialectal differences connected with social classes, educational levels, or both
• More-highly educated speakers and those belonging to a higher social class tend to use more features belonging to the standard language, while the original dialect of the region is better preserved in the speech of the lower and less-educated classes
• In large urban centres, innovations unknown in the former dialect of the region frequently develop, making the social stratification of dialects especially relevant and far-reaching
• Educational differences between speakers strongly affect the extent of their vocabulary
• Every profession has its own expressions, including technical terminology and casual words or idioms peculiar to the group
• Slang


  Characterized mainly by a specific vocabulary, more flexible than an ordinary dialect, and subject to fashion and dependent on the speaker's age group
• Bidialectal


  Speakers who use slang or a professional dialect in addition to some other dialect or the standard language
• Dialectal differences often run parallel with the religious or racial division of the population
• Linguistic change


  The basic cause of dialectal differentiation, as every living language constantly undergoes changes in its various elements
• When a change (an innovation) appears among only one section of the speakers of a language, this automatically creates a dialectal difference