Chapter 18: Language Variation Flashcards
Sociolinguistics
The sub-discipline of linguistics which studies language variation.
Dialect
The forms of language use that occur in s certain area or community.
Language variety
The description of all kinds of variation in language.
Accent
When people use different sound markings but otherwise share the same grammatical and lexical features in their speech.
Language variants
Different options to pronounce something.
Linguistic variable
A linguistic unit composed of different language variants.
Lexical variation
When two or more words refer to the same object.
Semantic variation
When the same word is used in different language varieties to refer to different concepts.
Pragmatic variation
When different phrases are more or less appropriate in different situations.
Isogloss
Boundaries drawn on maps by dialectologists.
Sociolects
Different social varieties of language.
Ethnic variety
Ethnolect
Form of a language used to express allegiance to a particular ethnic group.
Situational factors
Factors that influence the choice of a particular variant of a linguistic variable.
Register
Language use that belongs to a certain kind of situation and is often associated with a group of speakers.
Social meaning
The extra information carried by the particular language form when it is associated with the social status of the speaker.
