In
sociolinguistics a
variety, also called a
lect, is a
form of a
language used by speakers of that
language. This may include
dialects,
accents,
registers,
styles or other sociolinguistic
variation, as well as the
standard
language variety itself. "Variety" avoids the terms
language, which many people associate only with the
standard language, and
dialect, which is associated with
non-standard varieties thought of as less prestigious or "correct"
than the standard.Schilling-Estes, Natalies. (2006) "Dialect
variation." In R.W. Fasold and J. Connor-Linton (eds)
An
Introduction to Language and Linguistics. pp. 311-341.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Linguists speak of both
standard and non-standard varieties.
Variation at the level of the
lexicon, such
as
slang and
argot, is
often considered in relation to particular styles or levels of
formality (also called registers), but such uses are sometimes
discussed as varieties themselves.
Dialects
O'Grady et al. define
dialect as, "A regional or social
variety of a language characterized by its own
phonological,
syntactic, and
lexical properties." The term
dialect is often associated with
regional varieties of speech. In addition,
though, there are dialect varieties associated with particular
ethnic groups (sometimes called
ethnolects),
socioeconomic
classes (sometimes called
sociolects),
or other social or cultural groups.
Dialectology is the study of dialects
and their geographic or social distribution. Traditionally,
dialectologists study the variety of language used within a
particular
speech community, a
group of people who share a set of norms or conventions for
language use. More recently,
sociolinguists have adopted the concept of
the
community of practice, a
group of people who develop shared knowledge and shared norms of
interaction, as the social group within which dialects develop and
change. Sociolinguists
Penelope
Eckert and
Sally
McConnell-Ginet explain, "Some communities of practice may
develop more distinctive ways of speaking than others. Thus it is
within communities of practice that linguistic influence may spread
within and among speech communities."
Although the words
dialect and
accent are
sometimes used interchangeably in everyday speech, linguists and
scholars define the two terms differently.
Accent, in technical usage, refers
only to differences in
pronunciation,
especially those associated with geographic or social differences.
Dialect, which refers to differences in syntax,
morphology, and vocabulary, as well
as pronunciation, is the broader term.
Standard varieties
Most languages have a
standard variety; that is, some
variety that is selected and promoted by either quasi-legal
authorities or other social institutions, such as schools or media.
Standard varieties are more prestigious than other, nonstandard
varieties and are generally thought of as "correct" by speakers of
the language. Since this selection constitutes an
arbitrary standard, however, standard
varieties are "correct" in the sense that they are highly valued
within the society that uses the language. As linguist Harold
Fasold puts it, "The standard language may not even be the best
possible constellation of linguistic features available. It is
general social acceptance that gives us a workable arbitrary
standard, not any inherent superiority of the characteristics it
specifies." Sociolinguists generally recognize the standard variety
of a language as one of the dialects of that language.
In some cases, an official body, such as the
Académie française, describe
the
grammar and usage of a standard variety.
More often, though, standard varieties are understood only
implicitly. Writing of standard English, John Algeo suggests that
the standard variety "is simply what English speakers agree to
regard as good."
Registers and Styles
A
register (sometimes called a
style) is a
variety of language used in a particular social setting. Settings
may be defined in terms of greater or lesser formality, or in terms
of socially recognized events, such as
baby talk, which is used in many
western cultures when talking to small children, or a joking
register used in
teasing or playing
the dozens. There are also registers associated
with particular professions or interest groups;
jargon refers specifically to the vocabulary
associated with such registers.
Unlike dialects, which are used by particular speech communities
and associated with geographical settings or social groupings,
registers are associated with particular situations, purposes, or
levels of formality. Dialect and register may be thought of as
different dimensions of variation. For example, Trudgill suggests
the following sentence as an example of a nonstandard dialect used
with the technical register of physical geography:
There was two eskers what we saw in them U-shaped
valleys.
Most speakers command a range of registers, which they use in
different situations. The choice of register is affected by the
setting and topic of speech, as well as the relationship that
exists between the speakers.
The appropriate form of language may also change during the course
of a communicative event as the relationship between speakers
changes, or different social facts become relevant. Speakers may
shift styles as their perception of
an event in progress changes.
Consider the following telephone call to the
Cuban Interest
Section in Washington,
DC
.
Caller: ¿Es la embajada de Cuba? (Is this the Cuban
embassy?)
Receptionist: Sí. Dígame. (Yes, may I help you?)
Caller: Es Rosa. (It's Rosa.)
Receptionist: ¡Ah Rosa! ¿Cóma anada eso? (Oh, Rosa!
How's it going?)
At first, the receptionist uses a relatively formal register, as
befits her professional role. After the caller identifies herself
the receptionist recognizes that she is speaking to a friend, and
shifts to an informal register of
colloquial Cuban Spanish. This shift is
similar to metaphorical
code-switching, but since it involves styles
or registers, is considered an example of
style shifting.
Idiolect
An idiolect is defined as "the language use typical of an
individual person." An individual's idiolect may be affected by
contact with various regional or social dialects, professional
registers, and in the case of
multilinguals, various languages.
For scholars who view language from the perspective of
linguistic competence, essentially the
knowledge of language and grammar that exists in the mind of an
individual language user, the idiolect is a way of referring to
this specific knowledge. For scholars who regard language as a
shared social practice, idiolect is more like a dialect with a
speech community of one individual.
See also
References
External links
- Which Language Variety?, a web tool that
estimates if a word or phrase is typical for a certain language
variety (such as British English or American English)
Wikis
Quiz
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