Lecture: Spoken Language and Identity Flashcards
What 2 ways can language be looked at?
From the level of individuals or from the level of social groups
Define Intra-speaker variation
The individuals language when they are by themselves
Define Inter-speaker variation
The way people in a social group speak with each other
Define Dialect
Differences in Grammar, Words and Pronunciation
Define Accent
Differences in Pronunciation
How many levels of Dialect Variation are there?
3
What is the First Level of Dialect Variation?
The level of Syntax (Grammar)
What is the Second Level of Dialect Variation?
The level of Lexis and Semantics
What is the Third Level of Dialect Variation?
The level of Phonology
Why is Phonology observed more than Grammar in Dialect Variation research?
Because it is easier to distinguish phonological variants compared to non-standard Grammar.
What is a common phonological variation in the UK?
The “ah” sound to an “a” sound.
Give an example of the “ah” phoneme to the “a” phoneme.
Pronouncing “Bath” with a phonetic a or saying “Bahth”
Why might some people believe they do not have an accent?
Because they are surrounded by other people who speak in the same way as them
What is the accent with the highest prestige in Britain?
Received Pronunciation
What are all pronunciations in the Oxford Dictionary based on?
Received Pronunciation
Why might some people who have an RP accent believe they do not have an accent?
Because they may only be surrounded by other people in their lives who also speak RP only.
Define Diglossia
When there are 2 different dialects in a society with two very different purposes
Define Triglossia
When there are 3 different dialects in a society with three very different purposes
Who created the Accent Triangle?
Trudgill
What does the accent triangle show?
It shows how through social variation an accent either becomes prestigious or associated with lower social class individuals
Define Covert Prestige
When a way of speaking has more prestige in a specific social group compared to society overall
Define Overt Prestige
When the most socially prestigious way of speaking is the one you also accept is the best way to speak
Define Indexicality
The process of how particular features of language like pronunciations become attatched to a social meaning
How does a speech feature gain a social meaning?
Associated with a variety of speaking and a social practice and over time, a perception of certain pronunciations is made.
What can style-switching also be known as?
Code-Switching
Define style-switching
Switching between different ways of speaking in the same language
Define what code-switching usually means
Switching between overall languages
What should you usually mean when saying “style-switching”?
Switching between different ways of speaking in the same language
What should you usually mean when saying “code-switching”?
Switching between overall languages
