Unit 2 Flashcards
Language and Ethnicity
Accent
a distinct form of pronunciation that is common to a multiple different groups.
(local, social, ethnic, national)
*Everyone speaks with an accent
Dialect
Consists of an accent, along with specific words and phrases that is unique to that social or geographical group
- Regional dialects exist everywhere
Code switching
Changing your style of speech depending on the setting you’re in
What are the 2 basic accents?
Domestic: Varieties of a language spoken by citizens within a particular country
Foreign: Distinct patterns of speech that arise when speakers of a certain language speaks a non-native language
Phenomes
Smallest units of independent sounds within a language
Ex: “a” “oo” “ight” “ow”
Morphemes
Smallest units within a language that have an independent, symbolic meaning
(prefixes, sufixes, and words)
Syntax
The grammatical ordering/arrangement of words into phrases, sentences, and questions
Lexicon
The entire vocabulary of a language
What are the 4 major dimensions of language
Speaking, Comprehension, Reading, Writing
Linguistics Competence
A person’s degree of ability to speak and comprehend a particular language
*is like a range or continuum
Semi Speaker
A person that has a limited comprehension of a particular language(s)
*in the past there was an “all-or-nothing” approach to language comprehension
Prescriptive Approach
Attempts to regulate language by codifying and enforcing rules that dictate usage
*mostly found in classes ex; English/Spanish
Descriptive Approach
Regards language as a living evolving entity; studies languages as it is actually spoken/used by people in their natural, everyday life
*takes account accents, dialects, slang, etc.
Sociolinguistics
the study of speech within it’s social context
Authenticity
Arbitrary, social criteria that are subjectively used to judge wither a person is a “true” member of a particular racial, ethnic, or cultural group
*race and ethnicity is subjective!! Therefore the meanings are subjective
