Language Variation

1. Language Variation LI 2023 Nathalie F. Martin

2. ON THE BOARD • Before class starts, please come over to the board and write where you are from.

3. Is this English? • « What’shu talking ‘bout, Willis? » • Stay where you're to 'til I comes where you're at. • You ain’t gonna convince me. Let’sGet Started

4. Outline of Today’s Class Today’s : • Review: • Linguistics & Language • Linguistic Community • Linguistic Variation • Geography • Through time • Social variation • Situational Variation

5. LINGUISTICS What do linguists do? Descriptive vs. Prescriptive Spoken vs. written Language

6. Linguists Prescriptive LINGUISTS WILL NOT JUDGE SOMEONE’S GRAMMAR

7. You don’t hafta judge Descriptive Linguists Study Language As It Is Spoken And simply describe it

8. Prescriptive vs Descriptive Prescriptive I don’t have any • I don’t have none  • You was wrong  • Samuelle is fatter than me  • In Miramichi, they use the word “dipper” to mean “a utensil used for measuring water”. • Speakers of British English use different vowels than speakers of American English. You were wrong Samuelle is fatter than I Descriptive

9. Spoken or WrittenLanguage? Linguists have the tools to studybothwritten and spokenlanguages!

10. LANGUAGE

11. What is Language? Language is the method of humancommunication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way.

12. Language(s) • A language is more than a simple instruments used for communication: • It the can be the object of love and/or hatred; • It can also show relationshipsbetween different people and social groups.

13. Contemporary Linguistics Analysis: p. 5. A Creative System The Creativity Aspect of Language • Human language must be creative: allowing novelty and innovation is response to new thoughts, experiences, and situations

14. The Truth About Grammar Generality: All languages have a grammar Parity: All grammars are equal Universality: Grammars are alike in basic ways Mutability: Grammars change over time Inaccessibility: Grammatical knowledgeissubconscious Reference: Chapter 1 (O’Grady & Archibald)

15. Language, Languages and Speech

16. TERMINOLOGY to speak of language Accents Dialects Pidgin Creole

17. Accents • A distinctive manner of expression: as a: an individual's distinctive or characteristic inflection, tone, or choice of words —usually used in plural b: a way of speaking typical of a particular group of people and especially of the natives or residents of a region • Merriam-Webster Dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accent)

18. Dialects • Dialect: • A ________ or ______variety of a language characterized by it’s own phonological, syntactic, or lexical properties. • Most of the time, we will use the term « ________ » in this class instead of speaking of dialects.

19. Contact Languages Pidgin Creole Ex: Hawaii English • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNCI2W_mqUQ Ex: Blood Diamond (Leonardo Dicaprio) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP5ILgKxapI&feature=related • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04QTfxGMe_Y

20. Pidgin A ______that emerges when speakers of a ________language are brought together in a stable situation requiring ____________________; it has _______________and generally is considered to have a ________ ________________.

21. Creole A variety that arises as the ________________of the children of members of a ________speech community.

22. LANGUAGE VARIATION

23. Linguistic Variation • A language, within a same community, is never quite ________. • We speak of ____________ when we determine the differences between individual speech.

24. Linguistic Variation • In spite of all the variation found between speakers, there are _________in the way that speakers of a certain community speak, which _____________them from other linguistic communities • (e.g. Canadian English, British English, Newfoundland English, etc.)

25. Variability Invariability (Core) Linguistic Variation

26. Linguistic Variation • To say that there is in fact a “linguistic community”, the language must present a certain ________. • Vocabulary, phonetic, syntax and grammar should be ________________the same within the community. • Let’s mention, though, that certain differences pertaining to vocabulary and accent, for example, are tolerated.

27. Linguistic Community • A Linguistic Community: • is a fuzzy concept since it can be very large (e.g. British English, Anglophones) or considerably small (for example, a ____or ________, or even a _____________).

28. Linguistic Community • Definition of a linguistic community according to Joshua Fishman: “A linguistic community exists as soon as all members have at least one linguistic variety in common, as well as rules governing the proper use of this variety.” • Mutual intelligibility • NOTE: Communities, as well as individuals, have more than one Variety of language.

29. Classification of Linguistic Variation • We generally speak of four types of language variation factors. • ________variation • _______(or historic) variation • ________variation • ________variation

30. Linguistic Variation Factors Geolinguisticvariation temporal (or historic) variation social variation situational variation

31. Lexical Regionalisms / Colloquialism Hugh Laurie: the British vs. American Vocabulary • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYmrg3owTRE • LET’S SHARE DIFFERENT WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS USED IN OUR OWN REGION

32. Geolinguistique Variation “ Massachusetts Hold Em’” Linguistic Variation Factors Geolinguistic Variation

33. Atlas of North American EnglishPhonetics, Phonology and Sound Change • Website:

34. Examples of Different Language Varieties • Amy Walker’s 21 Accents http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UgpfSp2t6k

35. Temporal (or Historic) Variation Linguistic Variation and it’s Factors Temporal (or Historic) Variation

36. Temporal Variation • Temporal variation is ________and manifests itself through ________________differences. • The case of North American French: • In North America, a good number of archaic words that are no longer used in France (though they are sometimes used in certain areas) have been conserved.

37. Temporal Variation Middle English(1066 - 1500) ye shul first in alleyourewerkes (you must first in all your works) mekelybiseken to the heighe God (meekly beseech to the high God)

38. King James – Bible Translation • 5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (NKJV) • 5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: • 6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: • 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: • 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (KJV)

39. The Message – Bible Translation • The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had:He always had the nature of God, but he did not think that by force he should try to remainequal with God. Instead of this, of his own free will he gave up all he had, and took the nature of a servant. He became like a human being and appeared in human likeness. He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death— his death on the cross! • (Good News Translation) •  Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. (The Message)

40. Use of Plurals Through time http://books.google.com/ngrams

41. Social Variation Linguistic Variation and it’s Factors Social Variation

42. Social Variation • Languages are to be seen through the eyes of _____. • A language changes socially. It needs to come to a certain consensus; that is why it is often heterogeneous, conflictual and dynamic. • Social linguistics variation corresponds to different social classes. • For example: the variation of /r/ in New York. • Linguists often use the more neutral term _______ rather than ________.

43. Video : MyFair Lady • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uozGujfdS0

44. Social Variation • Social variation : • Allows speakers to be a part of a language community (feeling of ________); • Sets and maintains ________between social classes; • Can emphasize different contexts (if we choose to speak a certain way in a certain context, this can be seen as a political choice).

45. What Are We Really Saying? What am I trying to say when I speak? • Speaking Standard French • Speaking Chiac French

46. Situational Variation Linguistic Variation and it’s Factors Situational Variation

47. Situational Variation • We do not speak the same way to everyone – we adapt our speech according to the “________” • Speakers adopt a certain way of speaking according to the _______.

48. How would I express myselfin thesegiven situations? • Exam • In writing a poem • Oral presentation • During an interview • Amongst peers at lunch break • In my home • Between friends • On the streets of London • In front of the Queen

49. Transatlantic Accent • Transatlantic Accent (1930-40) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UgpfSp2t6k

50. Transatlantic Accent • Transatlantic Accent (1930-40) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH2DKZ-2m74 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpsB3rEdpoI&feature=player_embedded Geolinguistic Temporal Situational Social