Language Variation and Description PDF
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Summary
This document discusses language variation and description, focusing on dialects and the consistent rules governing each one. It explains that perceived grammatical differences between dialects often stem from differences in rules and building blocks. A practical exercise is also mentioned.
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Language Variation and Description 2 When you encounter a variety (dialect) of your native language that is different from your own, you might think speakers of this other variety don’t know how to speak grammatically. But every natural language (and every dialect of every language) has its O...
Language Variation and Description 2 When you encounter a variety (dialect) of your native language that is different from your own, you might think speakers of this other variety don’t know how to speak grammatically. But every natural language (and every dialect of every language) has its OWN consistent set of building blocks and rules that its speakers share. ¡ And if you have trouble understanding another variety, it is likely because your variety has different rules/building blocks Language Variation and Description 3 Social factors (not linguistic ones) make some dialects “standard” and others non-standard. ¡ For example, some dialects might be associated with wealthy areas/regions And if you start investigating that different dialect as a descriptive grammarian, you can begin to understand the rules of that dialect. Language Variation and Description 4 We will do an exercise that illustrates what we can learn as descriptive grammarians with a nonstandard variety of English. This exercise will give you some initial practice with working with a data set (one of the goals of this course).
