Chapter 6 - Language Variation

Question 1

What did George Wenker do?

Answer 1

• sent questionnaires to figures of authority

- They had to translate the sentences into their local variation of German

Question 2

where are regional dialects most noticeable?

Answer 2

• wide geographical areas
• where a language has been spoken for a prolonged time
• called local coloring

Question 3

What is received pronunciation?

Answer 3

• A variety of standard english only spoken by 3% of the UK
• associated with higher social/educational background
• A.K.A ‘unaccented english or Queen’s english
• we no longer speak with received pronounciation

Question 4

What is dialect geography?

Answer 4

• Mapping dialects on a regional basis

- An outgrowth of historical linguitics

Question 5

What is the family tree model

Answer 5

There are mother and daughter languages that branch out in an upside down family tree

Question 6

What is a phonemic merger?

Answer 6

Two words are pronounced the same though they mean different things
ex. cot vs. caught

Question 7

Semantic Pejoration

Answer 7

the semantic worsening of a word

ex. mistress went from meaning head of household to meaning slut

Question 8

What are dialect atlases?

Answer 8

maps showing the geographical boundaries of the distribution of a particular linguistic feature

Question 9

What is an Isogloss? example?

Answer 9

artificial line on a map that marks the presence of a linguistic feature
ex. The Benrath Line: Upper german=dat, wat, es and lower german= das, was, es (separated by mountains)

Question 10

What can isoglosses show?

Answer 10

• Spread of a specific feature
• Origin of a linguistic feature = focal area
  ex. boston and charleston focal area of r-lessness in US
• Unaffected area = relic area - where remnant dialects are spoken
  ex. martha’s vineyard

Question 11

What do dialect geographers try to do?

Answer 11

Try to relate the distribution of a linguistic feature to historical development, either linguistic/internal reason (within the language) of social/external reasons (power, prestige)

• focus on rural and conservative areas (Ls would be preserved)
• Avoid urban areas - too difficult to account for immigrants

Question 12

Who are sampled for dialect geography

Answer 12

• Non-mobile older rural male
• Several representative speakers
• samples from different areas

Question 13

What are the limitations of Dialect geography?

Answer 13

• ignore urban areas
• selection of informants not controlled
• Similar criteria in other studies
• Marginalized women speakers
• Attribute all variation to regional variation

Question 14

Define the 2 types of Internal variation

Answer 14

Dialect Mixture: More than one dialect in the same community

Free Variation: Irregular variation that doesn’t carry any meaning

Question 15

What is a linguistic variable? example?

Answer 15

• a conceptual tool
• A linguistic item that has identifiable variants
  e. g. [ng] or [n] in singing
• not confined to phonology (ie. she walks)

Question 16

What are speaker internal vs. speaker external alternations?

Answer 16

Internal: 1 speaker has 2 terms for the same thing
External: DIfferent speakers prefer different words for the same thing

Question 17

Give an example of social variation

Answer 17

• in India they have a caste system
• Rigidly stratified
• When lower class begins to speak like upper class the upper class change speech to maintain power

Question 18

What are ethnographic vs. variationist studies? examples?

Answer 18

ethnographic: researchers as a community observer
e.g. investigating the languages of pennsylvania mennonites in waterloo
Variationists: Synchronic variation
e.g. snapshot of a language

Question 19

Explain apparent and real time studies (panel + trend)

Answer 19

Apparent: create an illusion that time has passed by sampling different age groups at once
Real time - Panel: contact same individual again and again
Trend: interview one speaker and then replace them with a similar one later

Question 20

What is the observer paradox (Labov)

Answer 20

participants change speech when being observed

Question 21

What is the danger of depth question

Answer 21

When people are being emotional they speak more informally

Question 22

U vs. non-U

Answer 22

U: Lavatory

non-U: Toilet

Question 23

What is urbanization?

Answer 23

• At the end of the 20th century there was a worldwide change in which people moved from rural areas to cities
  ex. Great Britain = 1st country affected (78% in cities)

Question 24

Why does urbanization occur?

Answer 24

because of the industrial revolution

- Richest people are now in power, not your title or the land you possess

Question 25

What did urbanization cause?

Answer 25

• Social Stratification

- Vertical Social Segregation (apartment buildings)

Question 26

What were the consequences of urbanization?

Answer 26

• complex b/c it promotes linguistic diversity AND uniformity
• cities = sites of contact b/w languages + dialects
• exposure to more individuals
• diverse sets of communicative situation
  ex. London is not a unified language b/c of immigrants

Question 27

What was the Norwhich study?

Answer 27

dropping /h/, /t/ and /g/ in ‘ing’

- inverse relationship : Higher social class = more standard speech

Question 28

what is an urban dialect?

Answer 28

A structured but variable system whose use is conditioned by both internal and external factors

Question 29

What is convergent accommodation?

Answer 29

Making speech more similar as a sign of solidarity - even adopt similar forms

Question 30

What are divergent styles?

Answer 30

Distancing from speaking partner

ex. english man who came to take a french proficiency test and refused to speak french to the secretary

Question 31

What are some differences b/w male and female speech

Answer 31

women = progressive
Men = conservation