Language Variation
Based on Social
Variables
Sociolinguistics In
Educational Context
Group 2
Members
Annisa Budiarti Sekar Ayu Jiska Cahyani
Handayani Asfinanda
23020330132 23020330133 23020330144
What is Language Variation?
Language variation is a different ways of
speaking a language within a community.
Language variation based on social variable means
the different ways of speaking a languange within a
community that occur because of social
background differences.
RP (received pronunciation) is a social accent
refers to the accent of the most educated and
most prestigious members of English society.
What is DIALECT?
Dialect is linguistic varieties which are
distinguishable by their vocabulary,
grammar, and pronunciation.
Standard English
Standard English is a dialect used by well-educated
English speakers throughout the world. But, as
illustrated in the discussion of regional dialects, there
are also many standard Englishes. In social terms,
linguistic forms which are not part of standard English
are by definiton non-standard (re: vernacular by
sociolinguists).
Caste Dialects
In country such as Indonesia or India, there are caste
systems determined by birth, and strict social rules
govern the kind of behavior appropriate to each
group. Not surprisingly, these social distinctions have
corresponding speech differences. A person’s dialect
is an indication of their social background.
There are quite clear differences in Indian languages, for
example, between the speech of the Brahmins and non-
Brahmin castes.
The Brahmin word for ‘milk’ in the Kannada language, for
instance, is ‘haalu’, while non-Brahmin dialects say ‘aalu’.
The Tamil Brahmin word for ‘sleep’ is ‘tuungu’, while non-
Brahmin dialects use the word ‘orangu’.
Javanese social status is indicated not just in choice of linguistic
forms but also in the particular combinations of forms which each
social group customarily uses, i.e. the varieties or stylistic levels
that together make up the group’s distinctive dialect.
Social Class Dialects
The term social class is used
here as a shorthand term for
differences between people
which are associated with
differences in social prestige,
wealth and education.
Social Class Dialects:
Vocabulary
People from different social classes speak
differently. The most obvious differences –in
vocabulary– are in many ways the least
illuminating from a sociolinguistic point of
view, though they clearly capture the public
imagination.
Social Class Dialects:
Vocabulary
Social Class Dialects:
Pronunciation
Groups are often distinguished by the
frequency with which they use particular
features, rather than by their use of
completely different forms.
Social Class Dialects:
Pronunciation
Figure 6.4 shows
the average [h]-
dropping scores
for five different
social groups in
two different
places in England:
West Yorkshire
and Norwich.
Social Class Dialects:
Grammatical Patterns
Here are some examples of standard and vernacular grammatical forms
which have been identified in several English speaking communities.
Sentence (6) in the
list illustrates a
pattern of negation
which is
sometimes called
‘negative concord’
or ‘multiple
negation’.
Social Class Dialects:
Grammatical Patterns
An adolescent gang member in New York produced the following:
9. It ain’t no cat can’t get in no coop.
Translated into standard English, the meaning of this utterance in
context was
10. There isn’t any cat that can get into any (pigeon) coop or, more
simply, no cat can get into any coop.
Sentence (11) comes from an adolescent in Detroit:
11. We ain’t had no trouble about none of us pulling out no knife.
A note about
Methodology
Collecting good-quality social dialect data
requires considerable skill. For example: the
use of a street survey to ask people to
pronounce certain words (ideally presenting
them in written or visual form to prevent
possible bias from the interviewer’s
pronunciation).
A note about
Methodology
Though patterns of gender and age and
sometimes ethnic variation can be detected
using this approach, since we can usually guess
these features when we meet someone, it is
harder to be sure about the social background of
speakers when no social information is collected
from them. And, of course, the data is limited in
quantity and style.
Kiezdeutsch ‘neighborhood German’
The term "dialect" in German traditionally refers to regional varieties
connected to regional identities, but the concept of social dialects
in urban, multi-ethnic settings is debated. "Gastarbeiterdeutsch"
emerged in the 1970s as a second language distinct from regional
dialects. Research on urban youth reveals multilingual practices not
unique to Germany. "Kiezdeutsch," associated with multi-ethnic
neighborhoods, is controversial, seen as a German dialect or youth
language. Stigmas often label non-standard dialects as lazy or
unsophisticated. Its development and use reflect the complex
identities of urban youth.
Ethnic dialects
Ethnic dialects like African American Vernacular
English and Chicano English are learned through
exposure and social interaction, not inherent to
specific ethnic groups. They are unique ways of
speaking the majority language within certain ethnic
communities. Urban areas play a significant role in
shaping these dialects, but labeling them as
"ethnolects" can be problematic as it implies
homogeneity and limits our understanding of inner-
city social and linguistic practices.
African American
Vernacular English
Features of AAVE:
Phonological Traits:
Consonant cluster reduction (e.g., "test" may be
pronounced without the final "t").
R-lessness and /ai/ monophthongization (reduction of
vowel sound).
'th' sound variation (e.g., replaced by /t/, /d/, /f/, /v/, or
/s/).
Verbal -s Marking:
Standard English uses -s only for third-person singular
verbs (e.g., "She likes"), but AAVE may omit this (e.g., "She
like").
-s can appear in contexts other than third-person
singular (e.g., "The men has wives").
African American
Vernacular English
Features of AAVE:
Zero Copula:
AAVE sometimes omits the verb "to be" in sentences
where contraction is possible in Standard English (e.g.,
"He’s nice" becomes "He nice").
This feature is specific to AAVE and varies based on
social and linguistic factors.
Habitual "Be":
This form uses an unconjugated "be" (e.g., "They be
throwing the ball") to indicate habitual actions.
Differentiates habitual actions from current actions (e.g.,
"They are throwing the ball").
African American
Vernacular English
Development of AAVE
Sociolinguists debate how African American Vernacular English
(AAVE) relates to other English varieties in the U.S. The Anglicist
hypothesis views AAVE as a dialect of American English, while
the neo-Anglicist hypothesis suggests AAVE retains African
language influences. In contrast, the creolist hypothesis argues
AAVE has creole origins with unique features like the zero
copula and habitual "be." The divergence hypothesis posits
AAVE is diverging from White dialects, though evidence is
mixed, with some scholars noting both convergence and
divergence. Additionally, Van Herk suggests White speakers
may also be diverging from AAVE through the Northern Cities
Vowel Shift.
Latino Englishes
The development of Latino Englishes in various U.S. communities,
particularly focusing on Chicano English and Puerto Rican English. It
emphasizes that these dialects evolve from the local varieties of
English spoken in the community rather than being directly
influenced by Spanish. While speakers of Latino English may live in
Spanish-speaking environments, they can be primarily English
speakers. The section highlights distinct morphosyntactic features
common in Latino Englishes, such as multiple negation and unique
uses of verbs, as well as notable phonological traits like vowel
reduction and intonation patterns that differentiate these varieties
from other American English dialects.
Conclusion
The way you speak is usually a good indicator
of your social background. And there are many
speech features which can be used as clues.
Sociolinguists have found that almost any
linguistic feature in a community which shows
variation will differ in frequency from one social
group to another in a patterned and predictable
way.
