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Linguistic Flashcards
Ch. 5
29
Other
Undergraduate 3
11/03/2009

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Term
Dialect
Definition
A variety of language based on geographical or social distribution; includes distinctive accent, vocabulary, and grammar
Term
Language vs. dialect
Definition
Language is spoken in a state that has chosen to give it some power. Dialects become languages for political/social reasons, not for linguistic ones.
Term
Autonomy
Definition
Independence; languages that have been politically defined as different, languages that are independent of each other, different centers of prestige
Term
Heteronomy
Definition
Dependence; languages/dialects that have been defined as falling under a common language, look to the same centers of prestige (can be languages of their own, like in Italy)
Term
Dialect continuum
Definition
Variation tends to lie along a continuum- a gradual passage from one dialect to another. 3 basic levels, including acrolect, mesolect, and basilect. Most people slide up/down the scale depending on the situation (this is code-switching!)
Term
Acrolect
Definition
most prestigious form, used in formal situations by educated speakers (usually the upper class)
Term
Mesolect
Definition
An intermediate variety, used in less formal situations by a majority of speakers from all classes
Term
Basilect
Definition
The low variety, used in informal situations by the least educated speakers (usually from the lower classes)
Term
Idiolect
Definition
Each speaker's own individual variety of language
Term
Dialectology
Definition
the study of dialects
Term
isogloss
Definition
an imaginary lines that marks the boundaries of areas where a particular form is used by speakers. Can include features at all linguistic levels (phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic, etc.)
Term
Bundle of isoglosses
Definition
May mark a dialect/language boundary (when many isoglossess surround/separate the same group of people, it indicates that the speech of that group is different in a number of ways)
Term
NORM
Definition
Nonmobile, Older, Rural, Males (dialect studies before the 60s used to focus on them, b/c regional words stayed with them the longest)
Term
"Network standard"
Definition
linguists predicted this neutral network standard as the result of television, radio, and other mass media outlets contributing to dialect uniformity
Term
"General American"
Definition
first network standard, the dialect of Inland Northern from the Great Lakes area. Became standard because people moved in/out spreading it, movie stars spoke it, and media pronunciation guides were based on it.
Term
Sound changes in the urban U.S. and Canada
Definition
main changes include vowel merger (loss of distinction between sounds in cot and caught), pin/pen merger (no difference in pronunciation), "chain shifts" (vowel shifts, both northern and southern shifts- like the Great Vowel Shift)
Term
US Dialects
Definition
no major differing dialects, because the U.S. is a fairly new country with a short history.
Term
Standard languages
Definition
Rose in Europe between the 15th-19th centuries, standardization helped by the sociological and geographic mobility associated with industrialization and urbanism
Term
RP
Definition
Standard English in Britain, known as Received Pronunciation. 2 kinds of RP: marked vs. unmarked
Term
Unmarked RP
Definition
normal and unexceptional form used by teachers, announcers, educated people in general.
Term
Marked RP
Definition
Used by the royal family and aristocracy
Term
Estuary English
Definition
an educated, London-based variety
Term
Inner circle
Definition
English used in Great Britain, the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia
Term
Outer Circle
Definition
English spoken in India, Kenya, Nigeria, Philippines, Singapore, etc.
Term
Expanding Circle
Definition
English spoken in Egypt, China, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Russia, etc.
Term
Solidarity
Definition
Why people keep their accents-some young people speak in an "old-fashioned" manner to differentiate themselves from visitors/strangers
Term
Covert prestige
Definition
found in speaking in older ways, in forms that normally are considered non-standard. Like using profanity to sound tough, which is valued in some groups.
Term
Accommodation Theory
Definition
People adapt their speech to their conversation partner. Their speech may converge to minimize distance or diverge to show distance. Sometimes people maintain their speech style. Theory based on theories from social psychology
Term
Matched-guise technique
Definition
One way to measure attitudes toward other dialects/languages: where a person who speaks 2 dialects/languages is taped saying the same thing and listeners rate the speakers on a list of qualities. Gives researchers insights into language attitudes.
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