Language in Variation

and Language in
Contact
-Juliane Rica Galleto-
 Idiolect
 Idiolect - Individual’s speech variety or
individual’s unique use of language.

 None of the person’s speech pattern is

constant.
 Dialect
 Dialect – form of a language or speech used by
members of a regional, ethnic or social group.

 English is a diversified language because it is

spoken in so many different areas around the
world.
 Context is also important in the way
individual’s speak.
 Style
 Style – distinctive manner in the way people
expresses themselves in a particular situation.

 Speech style can be compared to style of

dress.
 Example: One would feel out of place and
uncomfortable going on a hiking trip in formal
attire.

􀁂􀀁􀁕􀁓􀁂􀁅􀁊􀁕􀁊􀁐􀁏􀁂􀁍􀀁􀁘􀁆􀁅􀁅􀁊􀁏􀁈􀀁􀁓􀁆􀁄􀁆􀁑􀁕􀁊􀁐􀁏􀀁􀁊􀁏􀀁􀁔􀁏􀁆􀁂􀁌􀁆􀁓􀁔􀀍􀀁􀁋􀁆􀁂􀁏􀁔􀀍􀀁􀁂􀁏􀁅􀀁􀁂􀀁􀁔􀁘􀁆
 Stylistic variations aren’t only lexical, but also
phonological, morphological, and syntactic.

 Standard – stylistic or dialectical variety of speech that

doesn’t call forth negative reaction, used on formal
occasions and carries social people.
Example: Are you going to come tonight?

 Nonstandard/ Substandard – varieties that doesn't

measure up hese norms, informal.
Example: Are u gonna come tonite?
How many different styles do speakers of English
use?
 Martin Joos – 5 distinguishable styles were
characteristic of his dialect of American
English (east-central United States)

1. Frozen
2. Formal
3. Consultative
4. Casual
5. Intimate
 Language Contact
 Trade, travel, migration, war, intermarriage, and other
nonlinguistic causes have forced different languages to
come into contact countless times throughout history.

 When this happens:

- Language can die
- New language can develop
- Language in contact can be mixed in various ways.
 When a new physical term or concept is borrowed from
another culture, just directly taken over.
 Example:the name for that new item in the donor language
is often

Other language – English English – Other language

Hawaiian – Ukulele Weekend – French
Bantu – Gumbo Boyfriend – Russia
Arabic – Algebra Aerobic classes – German
German – Pretzel Beefsteak – many languages
 Pidgin
 Pidgin – a common way in which individuals and
groups interact across language boundaries.

 From a sociocultural perspective, an important

characteristic of a pidgin is that it doesn’t serve as a
native, or first language of any particular group.
 A pidgin is invariably simpler than the first
languages of those who use it, and the bulk of its
lexicon is based on, or derived from, one of the
languages in contact.
 A pidgin is not the result of the same kind of
development true languages are subject to:
- It tends to come about suddenly
- As the need arises
- And ceases to exist when no longer called upon to
perform its original function

 Pidgins can be simplified versions of any language,

the most common are those based on English.
 Pidgins characteristically lack inflectional and possess
a limited vocabulary, they have a structure of their
own and readily adapt to changing circumstances.

 Finally, it is important to remember that pidgins are

not “broken” languages, a kind of “primitive” speech
or manifestation of “corrupt” thought process of
simple people.

 Pidgins are demonstrably creative adaptations of

natural languages, with a structure and rules of their
own.
From Pidgins to Creoles
 Pidginization- the process of grammatical and lexical;
reduction of a language such as English or Navajo,
reflects a limitation on functions the pidgin is expected
to serve.

 Creolization – a process opposite to pidginization, this

process of expansion of a pidgin to other language
functions is termed a creole.

 Creole – a pidgin that has become the first language of

a speech community.
 Decreolization- creoles undergo a change, moving in
the direction of the standard language in a process.

: Basilect – members of the rural working class.

: Acrolect – urban variety approaching the standard and
seen as more prestige.
 Summary and Conclusions
 The number of languages spoken in the world is
rapidly diminishing.
 According to one estimate, of the 6,900 languages
only 600 can be considered safe from extinction
during the twenty-first century.
 The primary reason of languages to become extinct is
that in order to survive, small tribal population must
adapt to the economic and cultural influence of the
nation-states that encompass them, and one of the
vital adaptive process is the use of the language of the
large society.
 The World of Languages
 According to Gordon, one standard source suggests the
total of languages is more than 6,900.

 In terms of the numbers of speakers , it is obvious that

speakers of some languages have been more successful
than speakers of others, whether by conquest, historical
or some other circumstance.

 Some languages are on the verge of extinction,

currently used by as few as a handful of speakers and
not even habitually at that.
 Language Contact in the Contemporary
World
 One widespread method of bridging the linguistic gap is
to use a lingua franca, a language agreed upon as a
medium of communication by people who speak different
first languages.

 Some proposed adopting an artificial or auxiliary

language to facilitate international communication.

 English, the mother tongue of some 400 million speakers

serving well over a billion people in the world, appears
today to have little, if any, serious competition.