Profa. Valquiria C.P.S.
Carvalho
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Languages,
dialects, accents,
varieties
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Language Varieties
Language varies from one social group to another social group,
from one situation to another situation, and from one place to
another place. Variation shows that every speaker does not speak
the same way all the time. Language varieties indicate that the
speakers are distinct from members of other groups (Finegan,
2008). Language variety that signifies particular situations of use
is called registers, it is appropriate for use in particular speech
situations. There are some examples of language variations that
are of interest to linguist according to (Akmajian, 1998), lingua
francas, pidgins, creoles, jargon, slang, and taboo language.
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Haugen, 1966
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Impossibility to state number of "languages" and "dialects"
that exist in the world.
“language” is superordinate lo “dialect,” but the nature of this
relationship may be either linguistic or social.
In America “the term 'dialect' denotes every local form of English
but without any sug-gestion that a more acceptable form of the
language exists distinct from the dialects” Martinet (1964: 146)
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In sociolinguistics, language variety—also called lect —is a
general term for any distinctive form of a language or linguistic
expression. Linguists commonly use language variety (or
simply variety) as a cover term for any of the overlapping
subcategories of a language, including dialect, register, jargon,
and idiolect.
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“Languages and beliefs about language have social and political
implications. Beliefs about the correctness of the dominant
language become so much a part of people’s everyday thinking
that they fail to see that these beliefs are socially constructed.
Rather, the dominance of the standard becomes part of their
everyday consciousness, unexamined and naturalized”
(Bonvillain 416).
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“Studies of language ideologies and resistance to dominant varieties can attempt
to connect the processes of face-to-face interaction with social, economic, and
political orders. Members of some stigmatized communities may sharpen or
exaggerate their differences from the dominant forms. For example, a dialect of
Caribbean immigrants and their descendants in Great Britain, called Afro-Lingua,
turns the tables on standard English, opposing some widespread metaphoric
constructions that transmit negative images of “black” and positive images of
“white”. For example, black is depicted as bad or dangerous. “A black day” means
that on a particular day things have gone badly for the whites. “A black sheep” in
the family means the worst or most detested member of the family. One sees,
quite clearly, that black is associated with the devil and hell and with death. At the
same time the assumption is that white is good, right, pure. There is no doubt that
the black/white opposition is racial and racist.” (Bonvillain, 415)
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Dialect
Dialect Ancient Greek dialektos “discourse, language,
dialect,”derived from dialegesthai “to discourse, talk.”
A variety of a language that signals where a person comes from.
(regional dialect), or a person’s social background (class dialect)
or occupation (occupational dialect).
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A dialect is chiefly distinguished from other dialects of the same
language by features of linguistic structure:
Grammar (specifically morphology and syntax)
e.g. clim, clum, clome, or cloome instead of climbed
e.g. “sick to his stomach,” “sick at his stomach,” “sick in,” “sick
on,” and “sick with.”
Vocabulary: English subway, contrasting with British
English underground
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Lexical level
On the level of vocabulary, examples of dialectal differences
include American corn, which means “maize” in the United
States, Canada, and Australia, “wheat” in England, and “oats” in
Scotland. Nevertheless, while dialects of the same language
differ, they still possess a common core of features.
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Phonological features (such as vowels, consonants, and
intonation) are usually treated as aspects of accent.
In the sound system of American English, some speakers
pronounce greasy with an “s” sound, while others pronounce it
with a “z” sound.
Accent differences of this kind are extremely important as
regional and class indicators in every language.
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"A language is a dialect with an army and navy" is an
aphorism about the conventional nature of the distinction
between a dialect and a language.
The influence that social and political conditions can have over a
community's perception of the status of a language or dialect.
The adage was popularized by sociolinguist and Yiddish
scholar Max Weinreich, who heard it from a member of the
audience at one of his lectures.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=jxR2188FvLE
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Language Varieties
Language varies from one social group to another social group, from
one situation to another situation, and from one place to another place.
Variation shows that every speaker does not speak the same way all the
time. Language varieties indicate that the speakers are distinct from
members of other groups (Finegan, 2008).
Language variety that signifies particular situations of use is called
registers, it is appropriate for use in particular speech situations. There
are some examples of language variations that are of interest to linguist
according to (Akmajian, 1998), lingua francas, pidgins, creoles, jargon,
slang, and taboo language.
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Standard language = a variety used by governments, the media, schools and
international communication. Standard language also known as standard dialect or
standardized dialect is a variety used by a group of people in their public discourse
communication.
1. More correct and socially acceptable than other varieties.
2. Variety of used by the educated members: students, professionals, the media, etc.
3. Confers greater social prestige than non-standard varieties (indicative of the less
educated)
4. Acceptable as the variety defined in dictionaries, grammars, and usage guides.
5. More used in written than spoken form.
6. Important functions in society= education, government, courts, bureaucracy,
education, literature, trade, and industry.
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Dialect = idiom
Idiom = any kind of dialect, or even language,
Patois = a French term denotes rural or provincial dialects, often with a
deprecatory Connotation.
Vernacular = common, everyday speech of ordinary people of a region.
Idiolect = the speech of an individual person
Pidgin = the first-generation version of a language that forms between
native speakers of different languages
Creole = A pidgin with native speakers, or one that’s been passed down to a
second generation of speakers who will formalize it and fortify the bridge into
a robust structure with a fully developed grammar and syntax.
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Formal and Informal Styles
A language variety based on speech or speaking situation into styles.
We can speak very formally or very informally, our choice of the styles is governed by
circumstances.
Ceremonial occasions almost require very formal speech; public lectures are
somewhat less formal; casual conversation is quite informal; and conversation between
intimates on matters of little importance may be extremely informal and casual.
(1) the kind of occasion,
(2) the various social, age, and other differences that exist between the participants,
(3) the particular task that is involved, e.g., writing or speaking, and
(4) the emotional involvement of one or more of the participants (Wardaugh, 2006).
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Slang
Vocabulary used by people who have the same social group and who
know each other well, informal language used by people in speaking
rather than writing.
Slang normally refers to particular words and meanings, but it can
include longer expressions and idioms.
It is often particular to a brief period of time, with common usage ranging
from decades to only a few months. Therefore words which are widely
used and understood at one time, do not have the same meanings later.
For example, a good thing may have been "swell" in the 1930s, 1940s
and 1950s, "groovy" in the 1960s, and "cool" in the 1970s.
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Types of Slang
Acronyms
BTW (by the way)
LOL (laugh out loud)
ASAP (as soon as possible)
