Introduction to Dialectology I 2024 PDF
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Universidad de Chile
2024
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This document presents an introduction to dialectology and its different aspects, including language variation, language varieties, dialects, accents, sociolects, and other concepts.
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Introduction to Dialectology I Suprasegmental Phonology of English and Dialectology II 2024 Table of contents 01 02 03 Language Variation Language Varieties Dialect 04 05 06...
Introduction to Dialectology I Suprasegmental Phonology of English and Dialectology II 2024 Table of contents 01 02 03 Language Variation Language Varieties Dialect 04 05 06 Accent Dialectology Assignment 0 Language 1 Variation “If structure is at the heart of language, then variation defines its soul.” —Walt Wolfram Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics. 2006. Elsevier. Language Variation Variability is... …a fundamental, inherent property of language. …everywhere in language. From producing individual sounds or signs to processing linguistic signals. E.g. pitch, sounds, lexis, syntax, rhythm, fluency, style, etc. Language Variation Variability allows us … …to identify individuals, groups, communities, and nations. …to trace the history of languages, describe their present, and compare them. 0 2 Language Variety Language Varieties ONE OUT OF SEVERAL VARIATIONS OF A GIVEN LANGUAGE They are mutually intelligible within the same language. Source of Discussion: Danish-Norwegian Mandarin Chinese – Cantonese Chinese Used in a well-identified geographical region. They are geographically specific (American English, Australian English, etc.) They are called ‘dialects’. 0 3 Dialect Dialect ONE OUT OF SEVERAL GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATIONS OF A GIVEN LANGUAGE All dialects are equally valid. They are just different. Standard dialect vs. Non-standard dialect Language attitudes to certain dialects respond to extralinguistic reasons social judgment discrimination. If social variability factors are considered, they are called ‘sociolects’. (social class, age, gender, profession, educational level, etc.) Dialect ONE OUT OF SEVERAL GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATIONS OF A GIVEN LANGUAGE There is further regional variation within a given variety or dialect. E.g., American English, Southern American English, and Appalachian English. They have a syntactic and lexical system that differs (to different extents) from other dialects of the same language. Associated with a particular pronunciation or ‘accent’. Sociolect A dialect that is different to other dialects due to social class, educational level, gender, etc. Highly educated speakers from upper social classes living in urban areas tend to use more features of the standard dialect of a language (mainstream dialect). In contrast, the regional (original) dialect of the language is preserved by speakers with a lower educational level and belonging to working classes living in rural areas (traditional dialect). Why does this happen? Other Lects ethnolect genderlect Idiolect Basilect, mesolect, and acrolect (Pidgins and Creoles studies) 04 Acce nt Accent THE COLLECTION OF SEGMENTAL AND SUPRASEGMENTAL FEATURES THAT SETS APART AN ACCENT FROM OTHERS IN THE SAME LANGUAGE. It mainly identifies a speaker’s regional origin* and social status. It is independent of the relative prestige of a dialect. All dialects, prestigious or non-prestigious, have an accent. It indicates whether or not an individual is a native speaker of a language. * Except General British or Standard Southern British English Accent THE COLLECTION OF SEGMENTAL AND SUPRASEGMENTAL FEATURES THAT SETS APART A DIALECT FROM OTHERS IN THE SAME LANGUAGE. The most prestigious dialect in Britain does not always combine with the most prestigious accent, General British. General British speakers always use the standard dialect, but not all speakers of the standard dialect pronounce the GB accent. General British is non-regional. The other name for the same accent, Standard Southern British English, indicates its origin, not where its speakers are from necessarily. 0 Dialectolog 5 y Dialectology What is it? The systematic study of regional dialects. Dialectology started in the second half of the 19th century. It is closely related to historical linguistics, especially in the area of linguistic change. Dialectology What is it? It is also related to sociolinguistics to the point that it has been considered a field within that branch of linguistics. The field of sociolinguistics fully emerged in the mid-20th century. Dialectology examines variations in language within speech communities, while sociolinguistics explores the impact of social factors on language usage. Dialectology What does it do? It records data about traditional dialects that are disappearing. It describes and compares the different dialects of a language. It produces maps and atlases to show the distribution of dialects and accent features. They have served as research tools for historical linguistics. Dialectology What does it do? It improves our knowledge about linguistic change by explaining why dialect boundaries are distributed in a certain way. It explains linguistic phenomena such as innovation and diffusion. It predicts how innovations or changes will spread. Assignment Reading Writing Speaking Units 1 to 3 from Make a list of the main Discuss in class (next ‘Dialects’ by Peter concepts mentioned by Tuesday/Thursday what Trudgill Trudgill and write what you have written. you understand by them including examples. References Brown, E. K. (2006). Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics. Elsevier. Chambers, J. K., & Trudgill, P. (1998). Dialectology. Cambridge University Press. Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., Hyams, N., Amberber, M., & Cox, F. (2021). An Introduction to Language 10e. Cengage AU. Trudgill, P. (1992).Dialect contact, dialectology and sociolinguistics. In K. Bolton & H. Kwok (eds.). Sociolinguistics today: international perspectives. London: Routledge. 71-79 Trudgill, P. (2012). Dialects. Routledge. Trudgill, P. (2000). Sociolinguistics: An Introduction to Language and Society. Penguin UK. Yule, G. (2014). The study of language. Cambridge University Press. Next Dialectology class: Introduction to Dialectology Part II Methods in Dialectology Dialect maps Introductions, innovations, change in progress Written Test: reading & Lectures: Week 4: Tue 27th / Thu 29th