Lecture 17 - Language & Variation

Question 1

Differentiate between synchronic and **diachronic **language variation

Answer 1

• Synchronic:
  
  • Variation in a language at a given point in time
• Diachronic:
  
  • Variation in a lnaguage over time

Question 2

Compare language varieties and dialects

Answer 2

• Variety
  
  • A kind of language considered to be uniform
  • Neutral term
  • Has stable conventions and structures
• Dialect
  
  • A regional, social or temporal variety of a language
  • Mutually intelligible
  • Every dialect has consistent grammatical and phonological systems
  • Differ in:
    
    • Phonology
    • Lexicon
    • Morphology & syntax

Question 3

Which features vary between dialects?

Answer 3

• Phonological
  
  • ​eg vowel sounds
• Lexical
  
  • ​”Fall” vs. “autumn”
• Morphological & syntactic
  
  • ” I been thinking”

Question 4

Describe the concept of ‘Standard language’

Answer 4

• The socially accepted ‘correct’ variety of a given language
• Based on speech of educated population in political / cultural centres
• Merely a social construct; is not objectively ‘superior’ than any other form
  
  • The idea that dialects ‘deviate’ the standard language is false

Question 5

Describe the pioneering research into sociolinguistics

Answer 5

• William Labov
  
  • Martha’s Vineyard study
  • Studied ‘r’ pronunciation in various department stores in New York
    
    • Saks, Macy’s and Klein’s
    • Saks: mostly used ‘r’
    • Kleins’: most didn’t use ‘r’
    • The higher the socio-economic status of the employee, the most frequent the use of ‘r’

Question 6

Describe variation in Australian English

Answer 6

• Far less variation compared to BE and AmE
• However, there is still some variation
• Phonological:
  
  • eg Helicopter, Alps in Victoria
  • eg Pool, school in Queensland
• Lexical:
  
  • eg Togs, bathers, cossie
  • eg Schooner, pot
• Sociolects
  
  • There is a continuum of Australian sociolects:
    
    • Broad - General - Cultivated
      *

Question 7

Describe Hovarth’s study of Australian Sociolects

Answer 7

• 1985
• Broad - general - cultivated - ethnic broad
• Children:
  
  • Moving from broad to general
• Teenagers:
  
  • Moving from cultivated to general

Question 8

What are the following:

• Idiolects
• Intraspeaker variation

Answer 8

• Idiolect:
  
  • A given individuals way of speaking
• Intraspeaker variation:
  
  • A given individual may alter their speech depending on the situation