AS English Language - #1: Varieties of English

AS English Language

#1: Varieties of English

Register and Mode

Register is the type of language used in different situations. Deciding which register is appropriate to use depends on several factors: the relationship between the speaker and the audience, the purpose, the field (subject being talked about), and the form. Whether the register is appropriate depends on the context it’s used in. Usin informal language in a formal situation is inappropriate because it could seem disrespectful or rude. Using formal language in an informal situation could sound unfriendly and stuffy.

Registers vary in terms of lexis, grammar and phonology. A conversation between to specialists would contain technical vocabulary that they would both understand. Register can affect syntax - the word order. Some registers even have grammatical constructions that are specific to them, like the legalese. The informal register involves things like dropping the /h/ and missing a /g/. Generally speaking, the more formal a situation is the more likely people are to modify their accent so it’s closer to RP.

Accent and Dialect

A dialect is a variation in language, with it’s own features of vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. It is different to accent because it refers to the specific words you use, not just how you say them. The term dialect is usually used to describe language that is particular to a specific geographical region. There are also some variations in terms of social background (sociolect and idiolect).

An accent can be a feature of a dialect, but it just refers to how you say words, not the words themselves. Accents can be affected by regional or social background.

People have different attitudes towards dialects and accents as they highlight social class differences. This was illustrated by Shaw’s comment: “No Englishman can open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him”. Standard English is a social dialect and is usually associated with educated, middle and upper class people. It is the language of formal speech and writing, and what you are taught in school.

Workman (2008) studied people’s perceptions of different accents. The participants listened to recordings of different accents while they looked at photos of people. It was found that participants rated the intelligence of the people in the photos differently, depending on which accent they thought they had. Results: Yorkshire = most intelligent. Birmingham =least intelligent. This shows how strong the stereotypes of different accents can be.

Les mer = Read more.....

Standard English and Received Pronunciation

Standard English is a dialect of English. It has distinctive features of vocabulary, grammar and spelling. A standard form of language is one that is considered acceptable or correct by educated speakers. Standard English is associated with education, class and power. It is the most widely understood version of English, so it’s used in lots of different fields. It is the variety of English that is taught in schools, it’s used in the media, it’s the language used in formal documents (essays, reports), and it’s used in formal speech (business negotiations, public announcements).

Received pronunciation (RP) is a social accent. It is traditionally associated with educated people and the upper classes. It’s different from other accents because it does not indicate which region the speaker is from. Traditionally Standard English and RP are linked - the most prestigeous way of speaking would be Standard English using RP. Examples of RP are the traditional speech of BBC presenters and the way the Queen speaks. Because of this, people sometimes refer to RP as the Queen’s English or BBC English. Some features of RP are long vowel sounds in grass (‘grarss’) and castle (‘carstle’), long vowel sound in words like come and under, and pronouncing /h/ and /t/ in words like hat and letter.

Why have Standard English? Cos wivvowt stndrd inglish we cudnt undrstnd eech uvver...

Sociolect and idiolect

Sociolect is the language of social groups. The sociolects of different groups help to give them their own identities. The language people use depends on different social factors; education, socio-economic status, age, occupation and belief system and culture.

The way you speak can depend on the situation. Language that is appropriate in one social group might not be appropriate in another. People adapt the way they speak depending on the situation they’re in, and how they want to present themselves.

Idiolect is the unique language of an individual. The way you use language can identify you, like a fingerprint. Your idiolect is a unique combination of influences, e.g. where you’re from, your social background and your personal characteristics.

Slang

Slang is non-standard, informal words and expressions that tend to be used in casual speech. It is often inventive and creative, and enters the language in lots of different ways. It can give new meanings for existing words, shorten exiting words or make up new words. Some slang are familiar to lots of speakers, while some is only known to people of a specific region or used by a very small social group. Slang can also reflect multiculturalism. The slang a person uses also depends on social factors.

Slang has different purposes. It can identify a part of a social group (sociolect), it shows that you fit in and suggests shared values, can be rebellious and entertaining, and can act as a code to exclude and can be secretive.

Slang is always changing, as words go in and out of fashion. Lots of slang words are used to be popular, and can quickly sound dated, especially teenage slang. Sometimes slang becomes so widely used that it becomes a part of Standard English. The words go from informal to formal. The opposite can also happen, that the words go from formal to informal/acceptable to vulgar. An example of this is the word ‘arse’. This word wasn’t thought of as informal until the 17th century.