Linguistics: VT Ch18 Regional Variation

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Study of Language week 5

Linguistics: Chapter 18

Regional Variation

But first...remember last week?

When you think in terms of language history and development; what does the word ‘proto’ refer to?

Do you think the Spanish word constipado (to have a cold) is a cognate of the English word constipated?

1. yes
2. no

Based on one of the most natural development principles: "stops become fricatives", which is probably older?

1. cheese
2. kaas

semantic change

syntactic change

sound change

Old English 

(Anglo-Saxon)

French

Latin

interrogate

question

ask

Linguistics: Chapter 18

Regional Variation

This commercial raised some Dutch
eyebrows in 2004. Why?

Learning aims:

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• explain the difference between a dialect, an accent and a language;
  
• explain and apply your knowledge of terminology concerning regional varieties, e.g. NORMS, isoglosses, diglossia
  
• explain how pidgins and creoles differ;
  
• And you will be aware that there is no “proper” variety of English.
  

What is “English”?

• Every language has a lot of variations, especially in spoken language.
  
• These variations can differ from country to country and between different parts of the country.
  
• Linguistic geography
  
• Which variety do you ( prefer to) speak?
  

Standard language (a variety)

• An idealized variety (‘proper” English?)
  
• No specific region
  
• For most people the language accepted as the official language of their country or community.
  
• The dominant, or most prestigious, dialect.
  
• The language  used in mass-media and taught in schools (also as L2/FL) 
• Standards:
• Standard American English
• Standard British English
  
• Standard Australian English
  

….

Have you met Amy Walker? She is from.....

Accent & Dialect

Systematic differences in the way different groups speak a language

Accent:

Pronunciation

Regional: Australian accent, New York accent, French accent, etc

Dialect:

Varieties in grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, but still mutually understandable (if not; another language)

Differences in dialects:

1. Phonological (also in accents):

Individual words:

dance, about, potatoes, water, house, etc

Sentence stress patterns.

2. Lexical:

Compare British English – American English:

first floor/ground floor, elevator/lift, pants/trousers, etc.

3. Grammatical:

He don’t know nothing.

Where are me shoes?

He just left some minutes ago.

I've lost my key, have you seen it?

I lost my key, have you seen it? 

R is pronounced

R is sometimes silent

Trousers

Pants

Fall

Autumn

Regional dialects

Often a source of humour/jokes > based on stereotyped  

                                                                   pronunciation

Regional dialects

Serious research of regional dialects:

Identification of consistent features of speech found in one geographical area (when compared to another region)

The informants tended to be NORMS

non-mobile, older, rural, male speakers

Outdated information?

NORMS

American dialects

An example

New York City accent bears little resemblance to the other dialects in this region. It is also the most disliked and parodied of any American dialect (even among New Yorkers).

Who were the NORMS?

English Dialects

Cockney

• Originally the dialect of the working class of East End London.
• Pronunciation:

house becomes /aus/ (or even /a:s/)

think > /fingk/

water > /wo?i/

time > /toim/, brave > /braiv/, etc.

• Besides the accent, it includes a large number of slang words, including the famous rhyming slang:
  

plates -- feet [from plates of meat = feet]

skin – sister [from skin and blister = sister]

trouble --  wife [from trouble and strife = wife]

Cockney:

"It nearly knocked me off me plates—he was wearing a syrup! So I ran up the apples, got straight on the dog to me trouble and said I couldn't believe me minces.“

"English":

"It nearly knocked me off me ..............—he was wearing a ..............! So I ran up the ................, got straight on the ................to me ...................and said I couldn't believe me ........................“

In Cockney the word "telephone" is replaced by "dog" (= 'dog-and-bone'); 

"wife" by "trouble" (= 'trouble-and-strife'); "eyes" by "minces" (= 'mince pies'); 

"wig" by "syrup" (= 'syrup of figs') and "feet" by "plates" (= 'plates of meat').

Can you “translate” the following utterance by a speaker of Cockney rhyming slang into English:

Regional dialects: research (where are the boundaries?)

• Isogloss: a line across a map separating two areas with regard to one particular linguistic item (paper bag vs paper sack)
  
• A bundle of isoglosses can form a dialect boundary > dialect maps.
  
• Dialect continuum: not a sharp boundary between dialects.
  

patat (petat)

friet

An isogloss is a line across a map separating two areas with regard to

1. one particular linguistic item
2. several linguistic items
3. all linguistic items

In reality a number of isoglosses would probably not constitute a sharp boundary, we call this a

1. dialect boundary
2. dilectum
3. dialect continuum
4. isoglossing

Bilingualism / bidialectalism

Many countries have a lot of regional varieties of the language (=dialects)

Diglossia: 2 distinct varieties of a language (high / low) used in specific situations or settings.

       E.g. African American Vernacular English vs Standard (American English)
 

Some countries have two (or more) official languages.

Usually one first language, the second language learned at school.

Pidgin

• Contact language
  
• Usually trade between 2 groups of people who did not speak each others language.
  
• No native speakers.
  
• An “English pidgin” if English is the lexifier language. (the main source of words)
  
• Simplified language (and creative linguistic ability)
  

Creole

• Can develop from a pidgin: creolization
  
• Becomes first language of a social community
  
• Native speakers
  
• Becomes more complex; more grammatical
  

what is NOT true about pidgins?

1. it is grammatically complex
2. it is a contact language
3. most lexical elements come from one language

Language planning

• Can/should the government do something to interfere with/have an influence on people’s use of language? > establish the standard variety or language and implement this standard.
  
• Language taught in school?
  
• Language bans.
  
• National language “wars”
  
• Language = identity?
  

Follow up:

next week (18 March): Chapter 19: social variation in language (see clip)

25 March: chapters of choice