1、Sociolinguistics(7),Instructor: Hua Xianfa,Chapter V Language and Geography,5.1 Regional Variation Language varies in a number of ways. One way of characterizing certain variations is to say that speakers of a particular language sometimes speak different dialects of that language. As discussed befo
2、re, dialect is hard to define, but has to be used in studies of regional variation.,5.1.1 Regional dialects,Regional variation in the way a language is spoken is likely to be one of the most noticeable ways in which we observe variety in language. There may even be very distinctive local colorings i
3、n the language which we notice as we move from one location to another. Such distinctive varieties are usually called regional dialects of that language. Regional dialects refer to the very distinctive colorings in the language reflected at the phonological, lexical and syntactical levels.,5.1.2 Dia
4、lect and patois,Explanation of the differences between the two based on the French example: Dialect: the term is sometimes used only if there is a strong tradition of writing in the local variety. Patois: the term is sometimes used if there is no such tradition of writing in the local variety. Expla
5、nation of the differences between the two based on other reasons: Dialect: usu. has a wider geographical distribution than a patois; urban dialect(not urban patois); middle-class dialect (not middle-class patois); regional dialect(village patois). Patois: usu. used to describe only rural forms of sp
6、eech; seems to refer only to the speech of the lower strata in society.,5.1.3 Traditional studies of regional variation,Studies of regional variation were originally focused on dialect geography or dialectology, which traditionally began in the late 19th century and which has employed assumptions an
7、d methods from diachronic linguistics such as taking the form of detailed surveys using questionnaires and tape-recorded interviews. Dialect geography: the term used to describe attempts to map the distributions of various linguistic feature so as to show there geographical provenance. The findings
8、of this kind produced on maps is what they call dialect atlases( or linguistic atlas).,Isogloss and Dialect boundary,Isogloss: a line drawn on a map to show the geographical boundaries of the distribution of a particular linguistic feature. Dialect boundary: several isoglosses coincide on the dialec
9、t atlas.,Limitations of the traditional study of regional varieties of languages,1.It tends to ignore densely populated areas, specifically large sprawling urban areas, because of the complexities of both sampling and data evaluation. Also the selection of informants are somewhat arbitrary because t
10、hey sometimes hardly represent the area being sampled. 2.The dialect atlas studies attempted to relate variation in language to settlement history and tended to ignore social class and other factors.,5.2 Lingua Franca,People who speak different languages have to find a common system of communication
11、. Such a common system is often called lingua franca. In a publication concerned with the use of vernacular languages in education published in Paris in 1953m UNESCO defined a lingua franca as “a language which is used habitually by people whose mother tongues are different in order to facilitate co
12、mmunication between them.”,Different Names of Lingual Franca,A variety of other terms can be found which describe much of lingua franca. Samarin(1968:661) lists four:1) trade language(e.g. Hausa in West Africa or Swahili in Eat Africa);2) contact language(e.g. Greek Koin in the Ancient World); 3) in
13、ternational language(e.g. English throughout much of our contemporary world); 4)auxiliary language(e.g. Esperanto or Basic English).,Examples of Lingual Franca,Greek Koin; Vulgar Latin used in the Mediterranean world; Sabir in the Mediterranean; Arabic, Mandarin, Hindi, Swahili, English A lingua fra
14、nca can be spoken in a variety of ways. E.g. English spoken today in many parts of the world such as India.,Linguistic features of Lingua Franca,a)borrowing words; b)variation in sound system; c)reduced grammar. Social factors have helped the growth and spread of lingua francas.,5.3 Pidgin and Creol
15、e,A pidgin is a language with no native speakers: it is no ones first language but is a contact language. That is, it is the product of multilingual situation in which those who wish to communicate must find or improvise a simple code to enable them to do so. A pidgin is sometimes regarded as a “red
16、uced” variety of a normal language, with simplification of the grammar and vocabulary of that language, considerable phonological variation, and an admixture of local vocabulary to meet the special needs of the contact groups.,How pidgin is produced?,Pidgins arose from a blending of several language
17、s such as Chinese dialects and English, African dialects and French, African dialects and Portuguese. Usually a European language serves as the base of the pidgin in the sense some of its grammar and vocabulary is derived from the European language used by traders and missionaries in order to commun
18、icate with people whose languages they did not know.,What is Creole?,When a pidgin has become the primary language of a speech community, and is acquired by the children of that speech community as their native language, it is said to be a creole. A creole is normal language in just about every sens
19、e. It has native speakers. Notable examples of creole are the English-based creole of Jamaica, and French-based creole of Haiti.,Linguistic characteristics of pidgin or creole:,1)The sounds of a pidgin or creole are likely to be fewer and less complicated in their possible arrangements that those of
20、 the corresponding standard language. 2)In pidgins and creoles there is almost a complete lack of inflection in nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives. Nouns are not marked for number and gender, and verbs lack tense markers.,Processes involved in pidginization and creolization:,a) Pidginization gen
21、erally involves the simplification of a language, and creolization involves expansion of the morphology and syntax, regulation of the phonology, deliberate increase in the number of functions in which the language is used, and development of a rational and stable system for increasing vocabulary. b)
22、It is generally acknowledged that a pidgin is involved in the earliest stage of each creole. c)Pidgin and creole languages are distributed mainly , though not exclusively, in the equatorial belt around the world, usually in places with direct or easy access to the oceans.,Linguistic characteristics
23、of pidgin or creole:,3)Syntactically, sentences are likely to be uncomplicated in clausal structure. But creole uses embedded clauses and pidgin doesnt. 4)The vocabulary of a pidgin or a creole has a great many similarities to that of the standard language with which it is associated. However, phono
24、logical and morphological simplification often leads to words assuming somewhat different shapes.,Key concepts, Regional dialects refer to the very distinctive colorings in the language reflected at the phonological, lexical and syntactical levels; Studies of regional variation were originally focus
25、ed on dialect geography or dialectology; lingua franca as “a language which is used habitually by people whose mother tongues are different in order to facilitate communication between them; A pidgin is a language with no native speakers and A creole is normal language in just about every sense; There are processes involved in pidginization and creolization.,
