LANGUAGE VARIATION

Group 1

Novie Asfira
Sindya Fantika
Yondrizal Maulana
Overview
Regional variation
Social Variation
Variation studies
Linguistic variable
Linguistic and social variation
Language Variation
Language variation
•No two speakers of a language speak exactly the same
way
• No individual speaker speaks the same way all the time

Language variety refers to the various forms of language

triggered by social factors. Language may changes from
region to region, from one social class to another, and from
individual to individual. his actual changes result in the
varieties of language.
Factors that contribute to variation
 Occupation
Age
Geography
Education
Gender
Social status/class
Ethnicity
Note:
Regional dialects
Regional dialects involve features of pronunciation, vocabulary,
and grammar which differ according to the geographical area the
speakers come from

Social dialects
Social dialect are distinguished by features of pronunciation,
vocabulary, and grammar according to the social group of the
speakers. Social group usually determined by a range of features,
such as education, occupation, residential area, and income level.
Regional Variation
International varieties
Intra-national or intra-continental variation
Cross-continental variation
International varieties

American British English

Do you have? Have you got?
dove dived
Did you eat? Have you eaten?

The differences that English speaker throughout the world notice when they
meet English speaker from other nations are similar to those who noted by
speakers of other language too.
Intra-national or intra-continental variation
The conversation between two Geordies(people from
Tyneside in England) is likely to perplex many English
speakers.
A : this wheel’s completely disjaskit.
B : I might could get it changed
A : you couldn’t do nothing of the sort. It needs dumped.

 The double modal might could is typical Geordie, it is also heard in the
southern USA.
 The expression needs dumped is also typical Tyneside, used in
Scotland.
 Disjasket meaning ‘worn out’ or ‘completely ruined’.

not just different accents but with dialects differences within a country
Cross-continental variation: dialect chains
Example
Ming is an old woman who lives with her son in a rural
village near the town of Yinde in Guangdong Province in
southern China. Ming speaks her provincial dialect of
Chinese, Cantonese. Last summer, Gong, an official from
Beijing in the north, visited her village to check on the lvel
of rice. Gong also speaks Chinese but his dialect was
Mandarin or putonghua. Ming could not understand a single
word Gong said.
A. LINGUISTIC VARIABLE
A. DEFINITION
Linguistic variable is a linguistic item which has identifiable variants.

• The morpheme “-ing” is a linguistic variable

• “-ing” indicates as the present continuous tense on English verb
• It has 2 verbal variants: /in/ and /iŋ/

Examples:
• Singing & Fishing
The final sound in those words are the linguistics variable. There are two variants [ŋ] and [n]

• Farm & Far

The [r] variable has two variants they are  [r] : /farm/ & /far/
[Ø /fa:m/ and /fa:/
Examples of linguistic variables

1. PHONOLOGICAL

Linguistic The Variants Example in words

Variable
(th) /θ/ , /t/ , /f/ Thin, Think, with, wit, with
(r) /r/ , /Ø/ Far, Farm
(h) /h/ , /Ø/ House, Hospital
(t) /t/ , /ʔ/ Bet, Better
(th) and (dh) /θ/ , /ð/ Thin, They
Note: At least there are 2 variations in each linguistic variable
(e) /I/ , /ɜ/ Pin, Pen
(n) /n/ , /ŋ/ Fishing, Singing
Examples of linguistic variables

2. GRAMMATICAL
• (s) in third person singular verbs
• The variants are /s/ or / /Ø/
e.g: “He talk”
“He Talks”

• (be) stative construction

e.g :“He’s happy”
“He be happy”
“He happy”
Examples of linguistic variables

3. LEXICON
• The name of a non-alcoholic carbonated drink based on gegraphy region
in the USA
• Pop
• Soda
• Coke, Soft drink

• The name of a light knit winter covering fro the head

• Toboggan / Toboggan hat
• Stocking cap
• Beanie
Lexicon
• The name of a non-alcoholic carbonated drink based on gegraphy region
in the USA
• Pop
• Soda
• Coke, Soft drink

• The name of a light knit winter covering fro the head

• Toboggan / Toboggan hat
• Stocking cap
• Beanie
B. VARIATION STUDIES
1. Labov (1966) in New York City

• He chose 5 phonological variable:

1. (th) variable /θ/ : thin, three
2. (dh) variable /ð/ : there, then
3. (r) variable/r/ : farm, far
4. (a) variable /ʌ/ : bad, bag
5. (o) variable /ɔː/ : dog, caught, law

• We should note that some of these have different variants, for example (r):
[r] or Ø, whereas others require the investigator to quantify the variants
because the variation is a continuous phenomenon,
• Such as the (a) variable, where there can be both raising and retraction
B. VARIATION STUDIES
2. Trudgill (1974) in Norwich
• He chose 3 Consonant Variables :
• (h) : happy, home
• (ng) : walking, running In these 2 cases of (h) & (ng) variable,
only the presence / absence of (h) & /ŋ/
• (t) : bet, better
Vs. /n/ that noticed by Trudgill

Mark Variants
Least marked Aspirated variant
Least marked Un-aspirated variant
 Most marked Glottalized
Least marked Glottal stop
• And he also chose 13 Vowel Variables:

bad name path tell there hair ride

bird top know boat boot tune
• He found that most of these words above have more than 2 variants,
• Thus, there is list of most-preferred variants known as standard variety, and less-
preferred variants as the non-standard variety.
Lingusitic Variation
Linguistic variation also includes many other
levels of difference. Not only dialect (which has
various meanings, including your hometown,
your region, your nation), but also your personal
variety (idiolect), and many shared sub
categories of e.g. your family, your group of friends,
your office, your school; plus various ethnic/culture
categories (including things like registers).
Social Variation
• Another type of language variation is social variation. In many
localities, language variation due connected with social classes,
educational levels, or both.
• More highly educated speaker and often, those belonging to a
higher social class tend to use more features belonging to the
standard language, whereas the original dialect of the region is
better preserved in the speech of the lower and less educated
classes.
• From this explanation it can be said that social variation happened
because of the social norms like social class, religion, education,
etc.
Language variety related to the level of language, class, status
and social class of the speakers:
a. Acrolect: social variation Acrolect is considered a higher and
more prestigious than other social variations.
b. Basilect: social variation is considered less prestigious, or even
despised
c. Vulgar : social variation characteristics seem language usage
by those who are less educated, or from among the uneducated.
d. Slang is a social variation that is privileged and confidential.
That is, this variation is used by certain circles is extremely
limited, and should not be unknown to the outside of the group.
e. Colloquial is a social variation used in everyday conversation.
f. Jargon is a social variation in limited use by certain social
groups
g. Argot is a social variation of limited use in certain professions
and confidential. The layout is on vocabulary specificity argot
h. Cant is a variation of a particular social pitched pleading,
whining made and full of pretense
Variation of terms of usage.

          Variation with respect to the use of language, its use or

function called functiolect, range and registers. This variation is
usually discussed by fields of use, style or level of formality
and means of use.
Variations in terms of formality

Martin Joos in 1967 in his book “The Five Clock”

divides language variations on five kinds of styles
are :
1. Diverse frozen (frozen),
2. Style or variety of official (formal),
3. Style or variety of businesses (consultative),
4. Style or language diversity casual (casual),
5. Style or variety of familiar (intimate)
Thank you