Understanding Language Varieties

What is variety in Language?

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Do we speak to all the people around us in a
similar manner?
– NOOOOOOO… it differs..
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So, How?
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To a babbling child, the adult babbles too
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In a conference the word are picked and spaced with
perfection
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In a very personal space, the voice is modulated along
with the language
Some features in speaking to children:
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Using short and grammatically simple
structures
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Using simple range of vocabulary
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Using We rather than You to refer to
addressee
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Using the sing-song intonation which
characterizes baby-talk
Some features of a foreigner’s speech
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High frequency vocabulary
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Fewer contractions (e.g. must not rather mustn't)
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Use of nouns rather than pronouns so referents
are clear (e.g. then you open the oven and you put
the cake into the oven rather then put it in the
oven)
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Shorter sentences with simple grammar
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Use of tag questions like don’t you? And isn’t it?
(which are easy to respond to)
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Repetition
 Language Variety
Language variety refers to the various forms of language triggered
by social factors such as:-
• Social situation
• Occupation
• Age
• Geography
• Education
• Gender
• Social status
• Ethnicity
 What comes under Language
Variety?
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Standard language
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Style
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Dialects
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Registers
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Pidgins
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Creoles
 Lets understand them one by one
Standard Language:
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For socio-political reasons, a variety of
language may be officially elevated as the
language of importance, such a language
variety is called standard language
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It is associated to
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Prestige
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Education
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Public life
 Style
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the choice of words used by a specific group of
people when they speak
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style can be hard to define because it varies so
much from person to person or group to group
– Children usually imitate the style of speech of their
teachers / or the people who impress them
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He picked a red rose from the ground.
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He picked a scarlet rose off the ground.
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He picked a ruby red rose from the ground .
 Dialect
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A variety of a language used recognizably in a
specific region or by a specific social class is
called a dialect.
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The study of dialect is called dialectology
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Dialects are categorized into 4 types :
– Regional
– Temporal dialects
– Sociolects
– Idiolects
Activity:
1. You are running after your pet dog, but you trip
and fall. You scrape your knee and its bleeding.
What do you put on your knee to stop bleeding?
Ans: --------(only 1 word)
2. Your family decides to fly to Thailand and enjoy
the beach while resting out the fatigue. What do
you call this kind of trip?
Ans: --------(only 1 word)
 Idiolect vs Accent
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Idiolect is the language of a single individual
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An accent is a speakers' distinctive
pronunciation which marks his or her regional
identity
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This term is used to describe the way you
pronounce the sounds of English, and the
distinctive intonation patterns that accompany
your speech
 Register
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A variety of language used in a particular social
or economic setting, for example, legal or
academic register
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It is more of occupational style using specialized
or technical jargon
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it describes the language of groups of people
with common interests or jobs, or the language
used in situations associated with such groups,
such as the language of doctors, engineers,
journals, legalese, etc.
 Pidgin
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A mixed language with a small vocabulary and
a simple grammar used by speakers of two
languages to communicate as they have no
common language
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also called contact language
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Two features of pidgin languages:
1. A pidgin has no native speakers
2. It is a simplified language with reduced
vocabulary and grammar
 Activity
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Make a list of 5 words that are pidgin in nature
 Creole
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When a pidgin begins to acquire native
speakers who use it as their primary language,
the pidgin turns to be a Creole
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The process by which a pidgin develops is
called Pidginization
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The process by which a pidgin becomes a
Creole is called Creolization
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e.g. Reunion island , Papua New Guinea – creole
countries
Answer the questions from the google form…
See you in the next class.. with Suprasegmentals