Chapter 6 - Language Variation Flashcards
What did George Wenker do?
- sent questionnaires to figures of authority
- They had to translate the sentences into their local variation of German
where are regional dialects most noticeable?
- wide geographical areas
- where a language has been spoken for a prolonged time
- called local coloring
What is received pronunciation?
- 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
What is dialect geography?
- Mapping dialects on a regional basis
- An outgrowth of historical linguitics
What is the family tree model
There are mother and daughter languages that branch out in an upside down family tree
What is a phonemic merger?
Two words are pronounced the same though they mean different things
ex. cot vs. caught
Semantic Pejoration
the semantic worsening of a word
ex. mistress went from meaning head of household to meaning slut
What are dialect atlases?
maps showing the geographical boundaries of the distribution of a particular linguistic feature
What is an Isogloss? example?
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)
What can isoglosses show?
- 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
What do dialect geographers try to do?
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
Who are sampled for dialect geography
- Non-mobile older rural male
- Several representative speakers
- samples from different areas
What are the limitations of Dialect geography?
- ignore urban areas
- selection of informants not controlled
- Similar criteria in other studies
- Marginalized women speakers
- Attribute all variation to regional variation
Define the 2 types of Internal variation
Dialect Mixture: More than one dialect in the same community
Free Variation: Irregular variation that doesn’t carry any meaning
What is a linguistic variable? example?
- a conceptual tool
- A linguistic item that has identifiable variants
e. g. [ng] or [n] in singing - not confined to phonology (ie. she walks)
What are speaker internal vs. speaker external alternations?
Internal: 1 speaker has 2 terms for the same thing
External: DIfferent speakers prefer different words for the same thing
Give an example of social variation
- 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
What are ethnographic vs. variationist studies? examples?
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
Explain apparent and real time studies (panel + trend)
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
What is the observer paradox (Labov)
participants change speech when being observed
What is the danger of depth question
When people are being emotional they speak more informally
U vs. non-U
U: Lavatory
non-U: Toilet
What is urbanization?
- 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)
Why does urbanization occur?
because of the industrial revolution
- Richest people are now in power, not your title or the land you possess
