The Role of Vernacular:

 Standard language and vernacular language are usually two distinct varieties of the same
language. These two varieties often exist at the same time in a speech community. But they play
different roles in social intercourse. Sociolinguists regard the former as a high (or H) variety and
the latter a low (or L) variety. Correspondingly, the former serves the high functions (i.e., it is
used in such formal settings as law courts, the House of Assembly or Parliament, a school, a
graduation ceremony, or a retirement dinner etc.) and the latter the low functions (i.e., it is used
in informal or relaxed casual contexts such as the playground and the home) in speech
communities. People often use vernaculars when they communicate with their friends or with
their peers.
 The word “vernacular” helps express that the language used is that of a specific group,
especially when it is different from the standard language used in that setting.
 The use of vernacular honors diverse cultures and helps you understand them. For specific
professional groups, the vernacular language helps complete work and communicate about it in
context.
 Sometimes used to indicate that a language is used for everyday interaction, without implying
that it is appropriate only in informal domains. Hebrew, for example, used to be a language of
ritual and religion with no native speakers.