Chapter 1 - Intro and terminology Flashcards
Define Power
“the ability to control events in order to achieve one’s aims”\ and the control someone has over the outcomes of other”
• Power is pervasive in society (exists in every society) and is therefor present in speech
Define solidarity
(opposite of power) = motivation causing individuals to act together
what is convergent accommodation? example?
We subconsciously alter our speech to stress solidarity with the other speaker
Ex. trudgill adapting to his interviewees speech (glottal stops)
what are marked and unmarked variants? example
unmarked = normally used, marked = not normal (culture specific)
“how are you is unmarked in canada but marked in Germany
define society
Any group of people who are drawn together for a certain purpose or purposes
define Language
What the members of a particular society speak
Define code
The system used when 2 or more people communicate (synonym of Language)
What is a multilingual speaker?
has access to multiple codes
What is grammar?
A system of rules that define its elements/items and usage. How the morphology and syntax are combined (known by all speakers)
What does it mean to know a grammar?
- Individual knowledge and collective/shared knowledge
- Rules and principles (what is part of the L, possible in that L and appropriate)
What is the chomskyan approach?
we are born with a set of universal rules, based on:
- The learnability of L (100% success)
- Shared characteristics of L
- Rules/principles (universal grammar)
- Children’s ability to learn L ( they do not just repeat, they acquire a set of rules)
- He doesn’t care how L is used
What is competence and performance
Competence: What people know about their language’s grammar
Performance: How people actually USE their language
What is Linguistic competence?
How well you know the grammar of a Language and can explain it to others > what you KNOW
What is Communicative competence?
How people exploit the elements of their language for communicative purposes > how you COMMUNICATE
What is an ideolect?
The particular way a person speaks
• Pronunciation
• Word choice
• Syntax
define Variety
A specific set of linguistic items and human speech patterns associated with external factors (education, background)
ex. Newfoundland english, skater talk
Define Vernacular
The speech of a particular country or region transmitted from parent to child as the primary medium of communication (informal variety of the standard) - what you speak at home
What is a dialect?
Forms of a language that differ in systematic ways > language is a collection of its dialects
* language can’t be superior to a dialect
What is a pluricentric language
A language with multiple varieties spoken in different geographical areas
ex. Yugosolvia = Serbo-Croatian
- it fell apart into different countries
- now the same L has different names: Bosnian, serbian, croation
* This is a purely political decision
How do we distinguish between two Languages?
Completely arbitrary!
- # of rules doesn’t matter
- Mutual intelligibility doesn’t matter (cockney english and NA english)
- purely political decision to stress national identity
What is a dialect continuum? example?
- dialects sequentially arranged over space
- each variety understands it’s neighbour but dialects from the opposite ends are unintelligible
ex. German and the Netherlands: people living near border can understand each other even though on the Netherlands side the L is dutch and the other side is German - it’s all because of national identity
What is asymmetric intelligibility? example
Speakers of one language can understand the other but not vice versa
ex. German vs. Dutch/danish
- dutch danish are said to understand german better than the germans understand dutch
* maybe germans just don’t want to because they have more power
what is the ‘popular definition of a dialect?
A corrupt form of a language that is inferior to the standard
= FALSE
What is sociolinguistic knowledge?
- It is unconscious, automatic
- It is known from birth
- Every time we open our mouth we apply this knowledge automatically
define sociolinguistics
The study of the relationship between Language use and the structure of society
what are the two types of sociolinguistics?
a) Sociolinguistics (micro-Sociolinguistics):the way people talk and how language varieties and patterns of use correlate with social attributes
b) Sociology of Language (Macro-Sociolinguistics): Studies what societies do with their languages
Does linguistic competence lead to communicative competence?
NO. you can have linguistic competence without communicative competence. For example learning french in school then going to france and being unable to communicate
Define variation
→ Different ways of referring to the same thing according to different situations in order to achieve a semantic effect.
• Variation is the gateway to linguistic change that can be permanent
A language is a sum of its________
varieties
what does this quote mean “A language is a dialect with an army and a navy”
→ The factor that wins is political boundaries and their national identity
