Syeda Hina Ali Shah Bukhari

SHORT ESSAY QUESTION 1

Standard and Non-Standard Dialects

Human societies have thrived on man’s capacity to communicate. In order for societies to

function it is pivotal for the members of the society to exchange information, ideas, feelings and

etc. This is only possible when they have a code or to be specific a language to perform this very

purpose of communication. Therefore, it is important for us to understand what language is so

that we gain a better insight in to two main aspects of language which are standard dialects and

non-standard dialects. To have more clarity on these variations we will also look at the difference

between Standard dialect of American English and non-standard dialects while also taking into

account the difference in attitudes towards the aforementioned dialects.

Woolard & Schieffelin (1994) define language as being more than a system of communication.

They state that is a symbolical marker which serves to distinguish the belongingness of a given

individual top a group. Defining a language is quite challenging as there can be different criteria

and challenges in defining a language. Lyon Johns (1981) defines language as the principal

communication system by particular groups of human beings within the specific society of which

they are members. This definition focuses on language being a part of social groups. It is

important to note that languages play a very important role in defining the social identity of an

individual or a group. Sociopolitical identity is one of the major determiners in defining what a

language is to a certain society or group of people. For example, in India and Pakistan we can

observe that both nations speak a similar language but it is the difference in their sociopolitical

ideologies that causes a distinction in the languages they speak thus Hindi and Urdu are then

considered languages for these nations respectively.

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Sociolinguists have observed that languages exhibit internal variation which means that each

language exists in a number of varieties and in fact a language is the sum of all those varieties.

Linguists commonly use language variety (or simply variety) as a cover term for any of the

overlapping subcategories of a language, including dialect, register, jargon, and idiolect.

We can see that varieties of language develop for a number of reasons: differences can come

about for geographical reasons; people who live in different geographic areas often develop

distinct dialects—variations of standard English. Those who belong to a specific group, often

academic or professional, tend to adopt jargon that is known to and understood by only members

of that select group. Even individuals develop idiolects, their own specific ways of speaking. It is

crucial to know that politics, solidarity and power play an important role in establishing the

difference between a language and its varieties also between the different varieties of language

like standard and nonstandard dialects. In conclusion a language can be considered as the

collection of dialects including the standard dialect which are mutually intelligible.

To begin with, it is important for us to know what a standard variety or standard dialect is as it

can help us to navigate and comprehend how our own variety is any different or similar to the

standard variety. It will also enable us to decipher the attitudes and prejudices societies have

towards standard and nonstandard dialects. In relation to the formality or standardization point of

view, the language is divided into two kinds: standard language and non-standard language.

Holmes (2001) defines standard variety is generally one which is written, and which has

undergone some degree of regularization or codification (for example, in grammar and

dictionary).It is recognized as prestigious variety of code by a community. This definition has

two main features: written language is the representation of a language by means of a writing

system; and regularization: to make a certain language that already exists legal or official.
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Therefore, Standard language is a particular language, which is correct, acceptable and used by

most people. It is much more related to the written language, which involves the features of

orthographical: the system of spelling in a language; morphological: the form of words; and

syntactical: the way that words and phrases are put together to form sentences in a language. The

standard dialect in the truest sense is just another variety or dialect of language and not a distinct

language.

The most common example of standard language can be seen in the Standard British English in

the Great Britain. There are many varieties of English spoken such as Scottish, Scouse,

Yorkshire, West Countie, Brummie and many others but these are not considered as standard

dialect. It is in fact the Standard British English which is used in professional context and also as

a medium of teaching in schools, colleges and universities and in media communications as well.

Moving on to the term dialect of a language, the term dialect has been derived from the Greek

word dia meaning across and legion means to speak. Dialect is a complex concept, for linguists a

dialect is the collection of attributes (phonetics, phonological, syntactic, morphological and

semantic) that make one group of speakers noticeably different from another group of speakers

of the same language. Dialect is a variety related to user. It can also be considered as the variety

or sub division of language based on geographical differences. It involves differences in

pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. Dialects are also considered as regional varieties of

language. For example, British, American, African, Pakistani English. We also have social

dialects which are based on the social economic class such as middle class, lower middle class in

England. The way speakers of lower class use Urdu differently from speakers of a higher socio-

economic class in Pakistan is an example of social dialect.

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Nonetheless, it should be underscored here that nonstandard lingos are frequently wrongly seen

as being "mistaken," yet language specialists tirelessly stress that Standard English is in no

structure better than any expressed tongue and that, semantically, no vernacular has a lower

status than Standard English. Trudgill (1990:13) states in The Dialects of England that

"[Standard English] isn't genuine to guarantee that it is more 'satisfactory' than different

vernaculars, except if we determine who it is OK to."

A better way to understand this phenomenon is by looking at an example for which we will look

into the Standard American English and compare it with non-standard dialects in America. We

also analyze the difference in these two dialects and how they are perceived in the society.

According to the dictionary definition of American English, it is defined as the form of the

English language used in the United States in formal and professional speech and writing, as

taught in schools and heard on newscasts, adhering to fixed norms of spelling, grammar, and

usage in written and spoken contexts, and neutralizing nonstandard dialectal variation. We can

say that he terms Standard American English customarily refers to a variety of the English

language that's generally used in professional communication in the United States and taught in

American schools. Also known as Edited American English, American Standard English, and

General American. Standard American English (SAE or StAmE) may refer to either written

English or spoken English (or both).

There are many dialects of English spoken in America such as the New York dialect, Texas

dialect and African American Vernacular English among many others. We will look closely at

AAVE to study how it differs grammatically from Standard American English and its social

standing. AAVE is also called Ebonics which has strong connotations and is also referred to as

jive-talk. According to Hinton and Pollock (2000) its pronunciation is, in some respects,
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common to Southern American English, which is spoken by many African Americans and many

non-African Americans in the United States. There is little regional variation among speakers of

AAVE. As with all linguistic forms, its usage is influenced by age, status, topic and setting.

There are many literary uses of this variety of English, particularly in African-American

literature. Creolists such as William Stewart state that AAVE shares so many characteristics with

creole dialects spoken by black people in much of the world that AAVE itself is a creole.

The traits of AAVE that separate it from Standard American English (SAE) include, changes in

pronunciation along definable patterns, many of which are found in creoles and dialects of other

populations of West African descent (but which also emerge in English dialects that may be

uninfluenced by West African languages, such as Newfoundland English). On the phonological

level consonant cluster reduction has been noticed like test, desk may be pronounced without

their final consonants. There is a clear and distinct absence of verb s marking. For example, they

say he go to the marker instead of he goes to the market. The use of habitual be is quite

significant which is used to address something in routine. For example, they say: He be working

late which means he usually works late. The use of zero copula also is an interesting distinction.

This means that you can remove the ‘be’ in a sentence if it can be contracted in standard English.

For example, the sentence. ‘He is working’ where is can be contracted AAVE makes it, ‘he

working.’

When it comes to the social standing of AAVE, it is generally considered as the form of Black

Speech. AAVE is usually negatively perceived in white-dominated professional spaces, such as

politics and academia, in the United States. Historically, AAVE has been regarded by many

sectors of American society as a sign of lower socioeconomic status and a lack of formal

education. These perceptions greatly fueled the backlash against the Oakland resolution. Today
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many Black people in America face discrimination for the way they speak; many AAVE

speakers rely on code-switching to actively change the way they talk to different groups. For

some, this is a way of advancing one’s career in predominantly white professions, but for others

it is a means of survival against police brutality and the violent repercussions of systemic racism.

In contrast to this the speakers of the SAE, who are considered as the privileged layer of the

society. They are considered more respectful and are given more opportunities in all walks of life

as the American society in general has a negative attitude towards Black community and their

speech form. The Standard American English is considered as a sign of a better social status

compared to AAVE.

Standard American English isn't an assortment of English that is intrinsically 'standard,' or better,

or more delightful, or more coherent than different types of English. What makes it standard is

that a few speakers of American English have the social ability to force the assortment of English

they end up utilizing on speakers of different assortments. They are in a situation to make their

English the esteemed type of English. They can do so on account of their social power. Since this

social power is wanted by others, the English verbally expressed by individuals with power is

additionally attractive for other people. In this sense, the ownership of the lofty assortment is the

ownership of social power." (Zoltan Kovecses, American English: An Introduction. Broadview,

2000).

In conclusion we can say that societies generally consider the standard language/dialect as the

better form and they are often considered as the superordinate variety of a given language

whereas non-standard dialects are considered somewhat less prestigious than standard languages.

It is all due to the social power given to the speakers of the standard language/dialect which
Syeda Hina Ali Shah Bukhari

places it on tip level of the hierarchy. In its true sense the standard language and the non-standard

dialects are just two different parts of the same continuum.