Social Class Flashcards
What is broad stratification?
A distribution of variants, for example, across groups of speakers in different styles, which shows each group of speakers patterning markedly differently from each other in each style. It shows up as a big gap between trend lines on a line graph.
What are caste systems?
A relatively fixed social group that a person is usually born into. The possibilities for movement out of it are limited.
What is the cross-over effect?
A phenomenon that emerges at the intersection of style and class. Typically it refers to the breakdown in the most careful speech styles of clear stratification between speakers of different social classes. For example, when reading word lists, speakers from the second highest social class will suddenly produce more tokens of an incoming or prestige form than speakers in the highest social class do, instead of producing slightly fewer tokens as they do in their conversation or interview styles.
What is fine stratification?
A distribution of variants, e.g., across groups of speakers in different styles, which shows each group of speakers patterning minimally differently from each other in each style. It shows up as small gaps between trend lines on a line graph.
What is hypercorrection?
The production of a form which never occurs in a native variety on the basis of the speaker’s misanalysis of the input
What is interspeaker variation?
Differences and variation that is measured between different speakers (individuals or social groups)
What is intraspeaker variation?
Differences in the way a single person speaks at different times, or with different interlocutors, or even within a sentence
What is the linguistic marketplace?
A way of talking about the extent to which an occupation or activity is associated with use of the standard language; a concept made widely known by the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu
What is negative concord?
A rule whereby a negative element/constituent in a sentence requires all other indefinites to also be negative
What is social class?
A measure of status which is often based on occupation, income and wealth, but also can be measured in terms of aspirations and mobility
What is the definition of stratification?
The systematic and consistent patterning of a variant with respect to some independent factor, e.g. style, age, class
What is variety?
Relatively neutral term used to refer to languages and dialects. It avoids the problem of drawing a distinction between the two, and avoids negative attitudes often attached to the term dialect.
What is the definition of vernacular?
Neutral term referring to the linguistic variety used by a speaker or a community as the medium for everyday and home interaction. In some linguistic work the term may be associated with the notion of non-standard norms.
