In sociolinguistics a variety, also called a lect, is a specific form of a
language or language cluster. This may include languages, dialects, registers,
styles or other forms of language, as well as a standard variety. The use of
the word "variety" to refer to these different forms avoids the use of the
term language, which many people associate only with the standard
language, and the term dialect, which is often associated with non-standard
varieties thought of as less prestigious or "correct" than the standard.
Linguists speak of both standard and non-standard varieties. "Lect" avoids
the problem in ambiguous cases of deciding whether or not two varieties
are distinct languages or dialects of a single language.
Variation at the level of the lexicon, such as slang and argot, is often
considered in relation to particular styles or levels of formality, but such
uses are sometimes discussed as varieties themselves.
Dialects O'Grady et al. define dialect as, "A
regional or social variety of a language characterized by its own phonological,
syntactic, and lexical properties." A variety spoken in a particular region is
called a regional dialect; some regional varieties are called topolects,
especially when discussing varieties of Chinese. In addition, there are dialect
varieties associated with particular ethnic groups, socioeconomic classes, or
other social or cultural groups. Dialectology is the study of dialects
and their geographic or social distribution. Traditionally,
dialectologists study the variety of language used within a particular speech
community, a group of people who share a set of norms or conventions for language
use. More recently, sociolinguists have adopted the concept of the community of
practice, a group of people who develop shared knowledge and shared norms of
interaction, as the social group within which dialects develop and change.
Sociolinguists Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnell-Ginet explain, "Some
communities of practice may develop more distinctive ways of speaking than
others. Thus it is within communities of practice that linguistic influence may
spread within and among speech communities."
Although the words dialect and accent are sometimes used interchangeably in
everyday English speech, linguists and scholars define the two terms
differently. Accent, in technical usage, refers only to differences in
pronunciation, especially those associated with geographic or social
differences. Dialect, which refers to differences in syntax, morphology, and
vocabulary, as well as pronunciation, is the broader term.
Standard varieties Most languages have a standard variety;
that is, some variety that is selected and promoted by either quasi-legal
authorities or other social institutions, such as schools or media.
Standard varieties are more prestigious than other, nonstandard varieties and
are generally thought of as "correct" by speakers of the language. Since this
selection constitutes an arbitrary standard, however, standard varieties
are only "correct" in the sense that they are highly valued within the
society that uses the language. As Ralph Harold Fasold puts it, "The standard
language may not even be the best possible constellation of linguistic
features available. It is general social acceptance that gives us a workable
arbitrary standard, not any inherent superiority of the characteristics it
specifies." Sociolinguists generally recognize the standard variety of a
language as one of the dialects of that language.
In some cases, an official body, such as the Académie française, describes the
grammar and usage of a standard variety. More often, though, standard varieties
are understood only implicitly. Writing of standard English, John Algeo suggests
that the standard variety "is simply what English speakers agree to regard as
good." Registers and styles
A register is a variety of language used in a particular social setting. Settings
may be defined in terms of greater or lesser formality, or in terms of
socially recognized events, such as baby talk, which is used in many western
cultures when talking to small children, or a joking register used in teasing or
playing The Dozens. There are also registers associated with particular
professions or interest groups; jargon refers specifically to the vocabulary
associated with such registers. Unlike dialects, which are used by
particular speech communities and associated with geographical settings or
social groupings, registers are associated with particular situations,
purposes, or levels of formality. Dialect and register may be thought of
as different dimensions of variation. For example, Trudgill suggests the
following sentence as an example of a nonstandard dialect used with the
technical register of physical geography:
There was two eskers what we saw in them U-shaped valleys.
Most speakers command a range of registers, which they use in different
situations. The choice of register is affected by the setting and topic of
speech, as well as the relationship that exists between the speakers.
The appropriate form of language may also change during the course of a
communicative event as the relationship between speakers changes, or different
social facts become relevant. Speakers may shift styles as their perception of
an event in progress changes. Consider the following telephone call to the
Embassy of Cuba in Washington, DC. Caller: ¿Es la embajada de Cuba?
Receptionist: Sí. Dígame. Caller: Es Rosa.
Receptionist: ¡Ah Rosa! ¿Cóma anda eso? At first, the receptionist uses a
relatively formal register, as befits her professional role. After the caller
identifies herself the receptionist recognizes that she is speaking to a
friend, and shifts to an informal register of colloquial Cuban Spanish.
This shift is similar to metaphorical code-switching, but since it involves
styles or registers, is considered an example of style shifting.
Idiolect An idiolect is defined as "the language
use typical of an individual person." An individual's idiolect may be affected by
contact with various regional or social dialects, professional registers, and in
the case of multilinguals, various languages.
For scholars who view language from the perspective of linguistic competence,
essentially the knowledge of language and grammar that exists in the mind of
an individual language user, the idiolect is a way of referring to this
specific knowledge. For scholars who regard language as a shared social
practice, idiolect is more like a dialect with a speech community of one
individual. See also
Abstand and ausbau languages Language localization
List of language subsystems Koiné language, a standard language or
dialect that arises due to contact between mutually intelligible varieties
of the same language Variation
References ^ a b c Meecham, Marjorie and Janie
Rees-Miller. "Language in social contexts." In W. O'Grady, J. Archibald,
M. Aronoff and J. Rees-Miller Contemporary Linguistics. pp. 537-590.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. ^ Schilling-Estes, Natalies. "Dialect
variation." In R.W. Fasold and J. Connor-Linton An Introduction to
Language and Linguistics. pp. 311-341. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
^ a b O'Grady, William, John Archibald, Mark Aronoff, and Jane Rees-Miller. eds.
Contemporary Linguistics. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.
^ "topolect". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2010. ^ Lave, Jean & Etienne Wenger. Situated
Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge: Cambridge
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McConnell-Ginet. Language and Gender. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
^ Fasold, Ralph. "The politics of language." In R.W. Fasold and J.
Connor-Linton An Introduction to Language and Linguistics. pp. 371-400.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ^ a b Trudgill, Peter. "Standard
English: what it isn't" In T. Bex & R.J. Watts Standard English: The Widening
Debate. pp. 117-128. London: Routledge. ^ Algeo, John. "What Makes Good English
Good?" In L. Miller Cleary and M.D. Lin Linguistics for Teachers. pp. 473-82.
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^ Joos, Martin. The Five Clocks. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World.
^ a b Saville-Troike, Muriel. The Ethnography of Communication: An
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^ Freeborn, Dennis, Peter French & David Langford. Varieties of English.
Houndsmill and London: MacMillan Press. ^ Gregory, Michael and Susanne Carroll.
Language and situation: language varieties and their social contexts.
London: Routledge. ^ Barber, Alex. "Idiolects." Stanford
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