Social Class and Language Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is a social class dialect (sociolect)?

Phonetic and phonological differences

Hierarchical ordering within society

Grammatical and vocabulary differences (correct)

Barriers and distance as relevant factors

What is a social class accent?

Phonetic and phonological difference

What are regional dialect boundaries influenced by?

Barriers and distance (rivers, mountains, swamps)

What do social varieties depend on?

Social barriers and social distance (e.g., class, age, sex, race, religion) Signup and view all the answers

What is social stratification?

Hierarchical ordering within society (power, wealth, status) Signup and view all the answers

What does social class combine?

Individuals with similar social and/or economic characteristics Signup and view all the answers

What are caste dialects easier to study than?

Class dialects Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes class dialects in the English-speaking world?

Classes are not clearly defined and movement within the hierarchy is possible Signup and view all the answers

What is an idiolect?

Speech of one person at one time in one style Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of dialectology?

Speech of rural informants, with little education in small isolated villages Signup and view all the answers

Which field of study developed into sociolinguistics?

Urban dialectology Signup and view all the answers

What did William Labov conduct in the 1960s?

A large-scale survey of the speech of New York Signup and view all the answers

What extra-linguistic factors determine the variation of idiolects?

Sex, social class, age, etc. Signup and view all the answers

What is a dialect continuum?

A large number of different but not usually distinct nonstandard dialects connected by a chain of similarity Signup and view all the answers

What is unique about accents in Britain?

They differ because of the unique position of RP Signup and view all the answers

What is an accent continuum?

From RP to various local accents to the most localized accent associated with the lower social class Signup and view all the answers

Accent correlates of sociological parameters and pronunciation of individual sounds:

presence of 'n' as opposed to 'ng', presence of 'glottal stops', dropped 'h' Signup and view all the answers

What does social class dialects correlate with?

Usage of third person singular 's', double or multiple negation Signup and view all the answers

What are social class accents indicators of?

Membership of a social class Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Social class dialect (sociolect): Refers to grammatical and vocabulary differences that characterize speech associated with specific social classes.
Social class accent: Encompasses phonetic and phonological differences that reflect social class identity.
Regional dialect boundaries: Influenced by physical barriers (rivers, mountains, swamps) that impact language variation.
Social varieties: Dependent on social barriers and distance, including class, age, sex, race, and religion.
Social stratification: Describes the hierarchical ordering within society based on power, wealth, and status.
Social class: A category combining individuals with similar social and/or economic characteristics.
Caste dialects: Easier to study than class dialects; characteristic of India’s traditional caste system with stable, clearly named groups and limited mobility.
Class dialects: In the English-speaking world, these are less clearly defined with possible movement up or down the hierarchy; reflects societal diversity and language variability.
Idiolect: The unique speech style of an individual at a specific time, highlighting personal linguistic choices.
Dialectology: Focused on rural informants with minimal education, leading to misconceptions about "pure" dialects; older populations aren't reliable indicators of accurate regional speech.
Pronunciation studies: In urban areas (e.g., New York, San Francisco) are often imprecise due to the large and diverse populations involved.
Sociolinguistics origins: Developed from urban dialectology, emphasizing the study of language in social contexts.
William Labov (1960s): Conducted a significant survey in New York, using 340 randomly selected informants; his methods provided an accurate portrayal of diverse English varieties in that area.
Extra-linguistic factors: Various influences such as sex, social class, and age affect the variation of idiolects.
Dialect continuum: A range of interconnected nonstandard dialects that show gradual transitions in speech, despite significant differences at the extremes.
Accent in Britain: Notably unique due to the role and presence of Received Pronunciation (RP).
Accent continuum: Represents a spectrum from RP through local accents to localized accents typical of lower social classes.
Sociological parameters of accent: Variations in pronunciation linked to social class, including:
- Substitution of "n'" for "ng" (e.g., walking)
- Use of glottal stops instead of "t" (e.g., butter)
- Dropping "h" sounds (e.g., hammer)
Social class dialects: Show correlation between social class and grammatical structures like third person singular "s" and use of double negation; no class consistently uses one form.
Social class accents: Reflect distinctive phoneme pronunciations, indicating social class membership, noticeable in patterns such as:
- Walking pronounced as /wɔ:kn/
- Butter pronounced as /bʌɁə/
- Hammer pronounced as /æmə/

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Description

Test your understanding of social class distinctions and their impact on language. This quiz covers concepts such as sociolects, accents, and dialect boundaries, as well as the influence of social stratification on communication. Dive into the ways social identity shapes our speech and linguistic variations.