Language Variation

Question 1

Language varies in _________, __________ and _______

Answer 1

Location, social class and who we are speaking with

Question 2

What do we look at in terms of language and society?

Answer 2

• Dialect
• Accent
• Idiolect (the speech of an individual)

Question 3

How can you tell if two forms are of the same language?

Answer 3

Technically, if two forms of language are
are mutually intelligible, they are
dialects of the same language

Practically, based on other facts they can be considered different languages

Question 4

Technically, what is a language?

Answer 4

A dialect with an army and a navy

Question 5

What is a dialect?

Answer 5

A popular pronunciation characteristic of specific

geographic localities or social classes

Question 6

What is a vernacular?

Answer 6

the informal everyday

language spoken by a people

Question 7

What is jargon?

Answer 7

a specialized language

understood only by a particular group

Question 8

What is patois?

Answer 8

usually refers to a regional

dialect that has no literary tradition

Question 9

What are the major divisions of language and society?

Answer 9

Class, region, ethnicity

Question 10

What is an example of a phonological difference in dialect?

Answer 10

the pronunciation of mary vs merry vs marry

Question 11

What is an example of a lexical difference in dialect?

Answer 11

soda, pop, coke

Question 12

What is an Acrolectal dialect?

Answer 12

A prestigious dialect, often the standard (an accident of history on which dialect becomes acrolectal)
-overt prestige

Question 13

What is a basilectal dialect?

Answer 13

A lower, non standard dialect

-covert prestige

Question 14

How are dialects formed?

Answer 14

-Language is always changing
-Separated groups of speakers change
in different ways
-members of different social classes
-In different places

Question 15

What is African American English (AAVE)?

Answer 15

-also called ebonics
- a dialect continuum that
ranges from Standard American English spoken
with a AAVE accent to Gullah Creole, a
divergent AAVE dialect spoken off the coast of
Georgia.

Question 16

What are the two perspectives on AAVE?

Answer 16

• Dialect (claims is formed like other dialects/no african influence)
• Creole (due to language contact not language separation)

Question 17

Explain the origin of AAVE

Answer 17

• Slaves in US spoke a wide range of African Languages
• Since slave owners did not like their slaves to speak the same language for fear of revolt, the slaves had to develop a semi-English semi-African Pidgin Language

Question 18

Describe Pidgin Language

Answer 18

• Not a complete language
• a simple communication code
• Does not carry over the complexities of either parent language

Question 19

How did the AAVE Pidgin develop into a Creole?

Answer 19

• Children of slaves grew up hearing the Pidgin
• They spoke it fluently (native language)
• Added in grammar and other words as needed

Question 20

Describe Creole

Answer 20

• A full fledged language (has native speakers)

- Has complexity (passed through the Pidgin stage)

Question 21

How is a Creole formed? (Stages)

Answer 21

• Language Contact
• Pidgin Language
• Native Speaker is Born
• Creole develops

Question 22

What is Gullah English?

Answer 22

• a creole that formed from the slaves
• Has English based vocabulary
• Grammar characteristics of West African Languages

Question 23

What is Decreolization?

Answer 23

• when a creole becomes more exposed to a non-creole, more English based language and they take on the English over time
• Ex: English exposed/taught to slaves in school
• AAVE became more similar to English and less to its West African heritage

Question 24

Double negation is _______ in many

languages

Answer 24

required
ex: spanish and french
it is not illogical

Question 25

Double Negation is called:

Answer 25

Negative Concord