Language variation

1. Language variation • We think of a language as a constant fact, but in fact every language show evidence of variation • A language changes differently in different places and circumstances • The result is language variation

2. Regional Variation • In this model of language change and dialect differentiation, it should alwaysbe possible to relate any variation found within a language to the two factorsof time and distance alone. • the British and American varieties, or dialects,of English are separated by over two centuries of political independence and by the Atlantic Ocean.

3. Regional variation • bucket / pail / blickey • stroller / baby buggy / baby carriage / pram • earthworm / angle worm / night crawler / fishing worm • faucet / tap • purse / pocket book / handbag • soda / pop / coke • peanut / ground nut / goober [< nguba ‘peanut’ Kimbundu in w. Africa; South Midland Dial.] • cell phone / cell • rig / bus / ambulance The vocabulary here varies according to region

4. Social Variation • Social variation studies developed from traditional dialectology when scientists understood the complexity of language variation.

5. Social variation • Basically we would agree that social class is a combination of income education employment status historical family status moral status region

6. Linguistic Variable • A linguistic variable is a linguistic item which hasidentifiable variants. • For example, words like singing and fishing are sometimes pronounced as singin’and fishin’. The final sound in these words may be called the linguistic variable(ng) with its two variants [º] in singing and [n] in singin’.