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Regional and social dialects - Coggle Diagram
Regional and social dialects
Regional variation
International varieties
Pronunciation and vocabulary differences are probably the differences people are most aware of between different dialects of English, but there are grammatical differences too.
Sometimes the differences between dialects are a matter of the frequencies with which
particular features occur
examples
Intra-national or intra-continental variation
dialectologists
can identify distinguishing features
of the speech of people from different regions
example
dialectologists can identify distinguishing features of the speech of people from different regions
Regional variation takes time to develop
Cross-continental variation: dialect chains
Languages
are not purely linguistic entities.
They serve social functions.
can be thought
as a collection of dialects that are usually linguistically
similar
Dialect chains are very common across the whole of Europe.
Social variation
RP: a social accent
RP
Received Pronunciation
was promoted by
the BBC
most linguistic variation will be found at the lowest socioeconomic
level where regional differences abound
Social dialects
Social class dialects
Groups are often distinguished by the frequency with which they use particular features
[h]-dropping
represents the viewpoint of speakers of the standard
the variable pronunciation of [r]
The higher social groups use more of the standard forms,
while the lowest groups use the fewest standard forms
Grammatical patterns
The higher social groups use more of the standard grammatical form and fewer instances of the vernacular or
non-standard form.
Multiple negation is a grammatical construction which has been found in all English-speaking
communities
term social
is used here as a shorthand term for differences between people which are associated with differences in social prestige, wealth and education.
class
is used here as a convenient label for groups of people who share similarities in economic and
social status.
the most obvious differences – in vocabulary
U group
non-U speakers
Social dialects
Standard English
linguistic forms which are not
part of standard English are by defi nition non-standard
vernacular = non-standar
Vernacular forms
tend to be learned at home and used in informal contexts.
Vernacular dialects
lack public or overt prestige
The way people speak is characterised by patterned variation.
Caste dialects
A person’s dialect
is an
indication of their social background.
People can be grouped together on the basis of similar social and economic factors.
Their
language generally refl ects these groupings – they use different social dialects.
Dialects are linguistic varieties
are distinguishable by their vocabulary, grammar and
pronunciation
allows for some variation within its
boundaries.
