Isi Sociolinguistics
Isi Sociolinguistics
Isi Sociolinguistics
INTRODUCTION
A. Issue Background
As we know that in fact, the language in the world is not a single language but
different. Moreover, in a variety of languages have various forms, such as standard
and non-standard variations. These variations arise because of social and cultural
factors, where individuals or groups of individuals live.
Shape or form of language of a person or group of people less influenced by
environmental or extra lingual factors that come into contact with it. Therefore extra
lingual factor is thus a form of language to suit a wide-variety of social reality that
reflection.
All languages exhibit internal variation, each language exists in a number of varieties
and is in one sense the sum of those varieties. Hudson (1996, p. 22). Defines a variety
of language as ‘a set of linguistic items with similar distribution,’ a definition that
allows us to say that all of the following are varieties: Canadian English, London
English, the English of football commentaries, and so on.
Speakers have various ways of saying the same thing. It may arise from the
mechanical limitations of the speech organs for instance speaker may not be fully
under the speaker’s control. Linguistic variable is linguistic unit or a sociolinguistic
has variant in lexical and grammatical, but are most often phonological.
The terms of variety language are emerged due to different systems reflecting
different varieties of the human condition. Variety is a specific set of ‘linguistic items’
or ‘human speech patterns’ (presumably, sounds, words, grammatical features, etc.)
which we can connect with some external factor apparently, a geographical area or a
social group (Hudson, 1996; Ferguson, 1972 and Wardhaugh, 2006).
B. Problem Formulation.
1. What is language?
2. What is dialect?
3. What is ideolect
4. What is varieties?
C. Objectives
1. To know what is language
2. To know what is dialect
3. To know what is ideolect
4. To know what is varieties
CHAPTER II
DISCUSSION
1. Language
Language is central to social interaction in every society, regardless of location and time
period. Language and social interaction have a reciprocal relationship: language shapes social
interactions and social interactions shape language.
Language is a primary medium of social behavior and, as such, deserves center stage in the
panoply of social psychological topics. Indeed, other topics in social psychology, including
exchange, bargaining, justice, socialization, deviance, health, ethnic relations, and collective
behavior, necessarily involve interactive speech processes, which makes language use per-
haps the most basic of social psychological phenomena. This is, we have argued, not so much
because language is a vehicle of communication; rather, it is a resource for activity. One
activ- ity humans sometimes perform is “communicating” information of various kinds, but
this is one among many other activities, such as arguing, promising, requesting, apologizing,
joking, and greeting.
At least since Aristotle, language has been seen as distinctively human in its complexity.
Ethologists have increased our appreciation of how other mammals—dolphins, chimpanzees,
gorillas, and so on—employ sounds to signal one another in sophisticated ways, but humans,
in conducting their everyday affairs, rely on spoken and gestural forms of intercourse to an
unparalleled degree (Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1989). Despite the centrality of language use in human
society, social psychology textbooks often ignore the topic (Clark, 1985, p. 179), and when
they do pay attention it is to regard language as a mode of communication or a vehicle
whereby humans transmit information, including ideas, thoughts, and feelings, from one to
another.
2. Dialect
A dialect is a regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation,
grammar, and/or vocabulary. The adjective dialectal describes anything related to this topic.
The study of dialects is known as dialectology or sociolinguistics.
The term dialect is often used to characterize any way of speaking that differs from the
standard variety of a language which is largely considered to be dialect-free. With that said,
few people actually speak the standard variety and most language represents a dialect.
a. Definition of Dialect
A dialect is a variety of English which is associated with a particular region and/or
social class. To state the obvious, speakers from different geographical regions speak
English rather differently: hence we refer to 'Geordie' (Newcastle English), 'New
York English' or 'Cornish English.'
In addition to geographical variation, the social background of a speaker will also
influence the variety of English that person speaks: two children may grow up in the
same Yorkshire village, but if one is born into a wealthy family and attends an
expensive private school, while the other is born into a less well-off family and
attends the local state school, the two are likely to end up speaking rather different
varieties of English. It is this combination of regional and social variation that I refer
to collectively as 'dialect,'" (Hodson 2014).
d. Prominence of Dialects
It is sometimes thought that only a few people speak regional dialects. Many restrict
the term to rural forms of speech—as when they say that 'dialects are dying out these
days.' But dialects are not dying out. Country dialects are not as widespread as they
once were, indeed, but urban dialects are now on the increase, as cities grow and large
numbers of immigrants take up residence...Some people think of dialects as sub-
standard varieties of a language, spoken only by low-status groups—illustrated by
such comments as 'He speaks correct English, without a trace of dialect.'
Comments of this kind fail to recognize that standard English is as much a dialect as
any other variety—though a dialect of a rather special kind because it is one to which
society has given extra prestige. Everyone speaks a dialect—whether urban or rural,
standard or non-standard, upper class or lower class," (Crystal 2006).
f. Prestige Dialects
In the earlier history of New York City, New England influence and New England
immigration preceded the influx of Europeans. The prestige dialect which is reflected
in the speech of cultivated Atlas informants shows heavy borrowings from eastern
New England. There has been a long-standing tendency for New Yorkers to borrow
prestige dialects from other regions, rather than develop a prestige dialect of their
own. In the current situation, we see that the New England influence has retreated,
and in its place, a new prestige dialect has been borrowed from northern and
midwestern speech patterns. We have seen that for most of our informants, the effort
to escape identification as a New Yorker by one's own speech provides a motivating
force for phonological shifts and changes," (Labov 2006).
g. Dialect in Writing
Do not attempt to use dialect [when writing] unless you are a devoted student of the
tongue you hope to reproduce. If you use dialect, be consistent...The best dialect
writers, by and large, are economical [with] their talents, they use the minimum, not
the maximum, of deviation from the norm, thus sparing the reader as well as
convincing him," (Strunk, Jr. and White 1979).
3. Idiolect
An idiolect is the distinctive speech of an individual, a linguistic pattern regarded as unique
among speakers of a person's language or dialect. But it is even more granular, more narrow
than just all the speakers of a particular dialect.
An idiolect also is the dialect of an individual person at one time. This term implies an
awareness that no two persons speak in exactly the same way and that each person’s dialect is
constantly undergoing change—e.g., by the introduction of newly acquired words. Most
recent investigations.
The term idiolect—made up of the Greek idio (personal, private) + (dia)lect—was coined by
linguist Bernard Bloch. In linguistics, idiolects fall under the study of linguistic variation,
such as dialects and accents.
a. Shaping Idiolects
In an article for Slate, author Gretchen McCulloch explained further how deep a
person's idiolect goes and how people come up with their own take on their language.
A person's idiolect is] not just vocabulary; it's everything from how we pronounce
certain words to how we put them together to what we imagine they mean. Ever have
a disagreement with someone over whether an ambiguously-shaded object was
actually blue or green? Congratulations, you've witnessed differences in idiolect....
Your sense of English as a whole is really an abstract combination of all of the
idiolects that you've experienced over the course of your life, especially at a young
and formative age. The conversations you've had, the books you've read, the
television you've watched: all of these give you a sense of what exists out there as
possible variants on the English language. The elements that you hear more
commonly, or the features that you prefer for whatever reason, are the ones you latch
onto as prototypical.
4. Varieties
In sociolinguistics, language variety—also called lect—is a general term for any distinctive
form of a language or linguistic expression. Linguists commonly use language variety (or
simply variety) as a cover term for any of the overlapping subcategories of a language,
including dialect, register, jargon, and idiolect.
To understand the meaning of language varieties, it's important to consider how lects differ
from standard English. Even what constitutes standard English is a topic of hot debate among
linguists.
Standard English is a controversial term for a form of the English language that is written and
spoken by educated users. For some linguists, standard English is a synonym for good or
correct English usage. Others use the term to refer to a specific geographical dialect of
English or a dialect favored by the most powerful and prestigious social group.
Varieties of language develop for a number of reasons: differences can come about for
geographical reasons; people who live in different geographic areas often develop distinct
dialects—variations of standard English. Those who belong to a specific group, often
academic or professional, tend to adopt jargon that is known to and understood by only
members of that select group. Even individuals develop idiolects, their own specific ways of
speaking.
a. Dialect
The word dialect—which contains "lect" within the term—derives from the Greek
words dia- meaning "across, between" and legein "speak." A dialect is a regional or
social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, and/or
vocabulary. The term dialect is often used to characterize a way of speaking that
differs from the standard variety of the language.
b. Register
Register is defined as the way a speaker uses language differently in different
circumstances. Think about the words you choose, your tone of voice, even your body
language. You probably behave very differently chatting with a friend than you would
at a formal dinner party or during a job interview. These variations in formality, also
called stylistic variation, are known as registers in linguistics.
They are determined by such factors as social occasion, context, purpose, and
audience. Registers are marked by a variety of specialized vocabulary and turns of
phrases, colloquialisms, the use of jargon, and a difference in intonation and pace.
Registers are used in all forms of communication, including written, spoken, and
signed. Depending on grammar, syntax, and tone, the register may be extremely rigid
or very intimate. You don't even need to use an actual word to communicate
effectively. A huff of exasperation during a debate or a grin while signing "hello"
speaks volume
c. Jargon
Jargon refers to the specialized language of a professional or occupational group.
Such language is often meaningless to outsiders. American poet David Lehman has
described jargon as "the verbal sleight of hand that makes the old hat seem newly
fashionable; it gives an air of novelty and specious profundity to ideas that, if stated
directly, would seem superficial, stale, frivolous, or false."
George Packer describes jargon in a similar vein in a 2016 article in the New Yorker
magazine:
“Professional jargon—on Wall Street, in humanities departments, in government
offices—can be a fence raised to keep out the uninitiated and permit those within it to
persist in the belief that what they do is too hard, too complex, to be questioned.
Jargon acts not only to euphemize but to license, setting insiders against outsiders and
giving the flimsiest notions a scientific aura.”
In other words, jargon is a faux method of creating a sort of dialect that only those on
this inside group can understand. Jargon has social implications similar to dialect
prejudice but in reverse: It is a way of making those who understand this particular
variety of language more erudite and learned; those who are members of the group
that understands the particular jargon are considered smart, while those on the outside
are simply not bright enough to comprehend this kind of language.
d. Types of Lects
In addition to the distinctions discussed previously, different types of lects also echo
the types of language varieties:
1.) Regional dialect:
A variety spoken in a particular region.
2.) Sociolect:
Also known as a social dialect, a variety of language (or register) used by a
socioeconomic class, a profession, an age group, or any other social group.
3.) Ethnolect:
A lect spoken by a specific ethnic group. For example, Ebonics, the vernacular spoken
by some African-Americans, is a type of ethnolect, notes e2f, a language-translation
firm.
4.) Idiolect:
According to e2f, the language or languages spoken by each individual. For example,
if you are multilingual and can speak in different registers and styles, your idiolect
comprises several languages, each with multiple registers and styles.
In the end, language varieties come down to judgments, often "illogical," that are,
according to Edward Finegan in "Language: Its Structure and Use":
"...imported from outside the realm of language and represent attitudes to particular
varieties or to forms of expression within particular varieties."
The language varieties, or lects, that people speak often serve as the basis for
judgment, and even exclusion, from certain social groups, professions, and business
organizations. As you study language varieties, keep in mind that they are often based
on judgments one group is making in regard to another.
CHAPTER III
FINAL
A. Conclusion
Based on the explanation above, the writer will give summarize to the readers
about the “Language, Dialeg, Ideolect and Varieties”.
The language and dialect as follow: Lower part of variety language is dialect and
as the main part is language. Register are varieties of language used in different
situations, which are identified by degrees of formality. Language may change
form region to region, from one social to another, from individual to individual,
and from situation to situation. This actual changes result in the varieties of
language.
There are some points of varieties of language: standard language, dialects,
registers, pidgins and ceoles.
Criterias of language: Standardization, Vitality, Historicity, Autonomy,
Reduction, Mixture and De facto norms.
The diffrences in dilect are because sometimes people who live in the same place
make a dialect and sometimes people who are similar in some way make a dialect.
Other dialects are different types of a language that come from different places or
countries. Dialect can be one of two different thing: a variety of language that is
specific to one group of speakers. That is can be effect of the area they live in, and
social class.
Types of dialects: Regional or geographical dialect, Temporal dialect, Social
dialect, Idiolects and Style.
REFERENCES