Linguistic Varieties and Multilingual Nations (Part 1) PDF

Chapter 4 Linguistic Varieties and Multilingual Nations (Part 1) Sociolinguistics 1  Introduction to Chapter Over half of the world’s population is bilingual and many people are multilingual. They acq...

Chapter 4 Linguistic Varieties and Multilingual Nations (Part 1) Sociolinguistics 1  Introduction to Chapter Over half of the world’s population is bilingual and many people are multilingual. They acquire several languages because they need them for different purposes in their everyday interactions. Think of the example of Kalala (Chapter 2). This chapter is about examining the labels and the criteria that sociolinguists use to distinguish between different varieties or codes in multilingual communities. 2 Like Kalala, Example 1 P.109 Mr. Patel from Mumbai (Formerly Bombay) A spice merchant living in Bombay. He talks with his wife and children in Kathiawari. At market, he uses Marathi to buy vegetables. At the railway, he speaks Hindustani. To read newspapers, he uses Kacchi. For listening to the cricket news, he uses English. His children’s school uses English. He’s not proficient in English like his children. 3  From Mr. Patel, We can Learn India is one of the most multilingual nations in the world, reflected in Mr. Patel’s linguistic repertoire. There is linguistic diversity in multilingual nations or called “linguistic heterogeneity.” It is necessary to look at their status and the functions of these languages, which they serve. 4 Sociolinguists have developed several ways of categorizing languages, according to [two criteria] their status and social functions, into: 1) Vernacular languages. 2) Standard languages. 3) New or World Englishes. 4) Lingua franca(s). 5 1. The term vernacular is used in a number of ways. Vernacular Generally speaking, vernacular refers to a language, which has not been standardized and Language(s) which does not have official status. For example, Buang in BNG and Hindustani in India. In a multilingual speech community, the many different ethnic or tribal languages used by different groups are referred to as vernacular languages. Vernaculars are usually the first languages learned by people in multilingual communities, and they are often used for a relatively narrow range of informal functions. 6 Cont. Three components to consider when looking at vernacular languages: Vernaculars The most basic refers to the fact that a vernacular is an uncodified or unstandardized variety. The second refers to the way it is acquired – in the home, as a first variety. The third is the fact that it is used for relatively limited functions. 7 Vernaculars Some have extended the term to include any language, which is not the official language of a country. For example, the UNESCO report of 1951 defined a vernacular language as the first language of a group socially or politically dominated by a group with a different language (i.e., the case of Spanish in the US; Greek in Australia and New Zealand) The term vernacular simply means a language, which is not an official language in a particular context. When people talk about education in a vernacular language, they are usually referring to education in an ethnic minority language in a particular country. [Usually implemented for ethnic languages maintenance and revival] 8 Also, Vernacular refers to the most colloquial (informal) variety in a person’s repertoire. Vernacular In a multilingual community, this variety will often be an unstandardized ethnic or tribal language. Languages → Here, the vernacular is used for communication in the home and with close friends. → It is the language of solidarity between people from the same ethnic group. Finally, the term vernacular is sometimes used to indicate that a language is used for everyday interaction, without implying that is appropriate only in informal domains. One example is the case of Hebrew where it was used extensively in other societal domains (not only in religions and rituals). 9 There is also the Process of “Vernacularisation” When a high (H) variety/language is transferred to a low (L) variety. Examples: Latin H to low European languages. Hebrew in Israel – people speaking L varieties of the classic H Hebrew. Classic Greek – people speaking L varieties of classic Greek. 10