Language Variation and Change
What analogy do we use to conceptualize language change? Explain the analogy
A lava lamp. While we know that language will continue to change, we do not know the exact direction or outcome of the change, but all forms are equally good. Any living language is slowly changing, there is no ceasing unless a language dies. Though things are lost, nothing is lost nor is nothing broken— only changed.
Which of the following is not one of the periods of English we learned in class?
A. Early Modern English
B. Old English
C. Middle English
D. Germanic English
E. Pre-English
D. Germanic English
Define shibboleth
Shibboleth: a linguistic feature that can be used to distinguish members of specific social groups. (Definition has expanded to include customs and principles as well, not just linguistic features)
Fun Georgia Shibboleths: Atlanta, Dekalb, Houston Mill Rd., Macon, Dacula, Dahlonega
You're talking to someone from Iowa who's saying they wish they had an accent like someone from Boston or the South. Break that statement down and explain where they're mistaken.
Everyone has an accent, its the phonological system associated with a specific linguistic variety. If you're speaking a language, you have an accent. Some accents are more socially salient than others, but that's a result of standardization. Varieties like Midwestern/Midland American English were/are more standardized and that's why other varieties stand out more (like Boston or Southern accent).
The phonological system associated with a specific linguistic variety is known as a(n)
A. Accent
B. Dialect
C. Idiolect
D. Isogloss
E. Morphology
A. Accent
What is the study of how people perceive language variation and dialect boundaries, focusing on their beliefs, attitudes, and mental maps?
What is a common method when conducting this kind of research?
Perceptual Dialectology. Draw-a-map task
What event marks the beginning of the linguistic period of Middle English?
The Norman Conquest of Britain
True or false: Every language is a dialect, but not every dialect is a language.
True
Bobby and Shelly are both native speakers of English. Bobby considers a sentence she said ungrammatical, while she insists that it was actually grammatical. What is a possible reason for this disagreement?
1. They are speaking different dialects of English
2. One of them is a prescriptivist
Explain linguistic security and insecurity.
Linguistic security: the feeling of comfort, confidence, and belonging in one's linguistic practices, where a speaker believes their language use is valid and accepted, free from discrimination or prejudice
Linguistic insecurity: the anxiety or self-consciousness speakers feel about their language use, driven by a belief that their speech or writing is inferior or doesn't conform to perceived societal standards
What are the four periods of English we learned about and how long did each last?
Pre-English <450
Old English 450-1100
Middle English 1100-1450
Early Modern English 1450-1700
True or false: More primitive languages like Proto-Indo-European and Classical Latin lack the complex morphology that languages of today have.
False. All languages are equal remember
In the draw-a-map task, what are the 2 concepts targeted when asking where language is spoken the most correctly and pleasantly? Is it possible for language attitudes to reflect one of these but not the other?
Status and solidarity. Yes, people that speak a lower-status dialect can think it features incorrect forms while preferring it to other linguistic varieties.
What were the names of the 3 Germanic tribes that settled in the British Isles?
The Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes
Which of the following is false regarding dialects?
A. Every language is a dialect, but not every dialect is a language
B. Dialects of the same language are not always mutually intelligible.
C. A living language always has dialects.
D. Dialects are derivative of languages and are subsequently less complex linguistic systems
E. Because dialects can be associated with particular social groups, some are often stigmatized and speakers can experience negative outcomes as a result of their speech.
D. Dialects are derivative of languages and are subsequently less complex linguistic systems
Assemble the following events in chronological order:
A. The Roman occupation of Britannia, The Norman Conquest, Chaucer writing Canterbury Tales, the writing of Beowulf, Shakespeare’s life
B. The Roman occupation of Britannia, the writing of Beowulf, the Norman Conquest, Chaucer writing Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare’s life
C. The writing of Beowulf, the Roman occupation of Britannia, the Norman Conquest, Chaucer writing Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare’s life
D. The writing of Beowulf, the Norman Conquest, the Roman occupation, Chaucer writing Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare’s life
E. The Norman Conquest, The writing of Beowulf, the Roman occupation of Britannia, Chaucer writing Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare’s life
B. The Roman occupation of Britannia, the writing of Beowulf, the Norman Conquest, Chaucer writing Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare’s life
Which of the following statements is true?
A. Language authorities can be descriptive.
B. Sociolinguistic research findings suggest most Americans find Southern English more “correct” than other varieties.
C. Perceptual dialectology research found that the South is the most common answer when people are asked to identify a region wherein people speak distinctly.
D. Everyone has an accent, but not everyone speaks in a dialect.
E. The four stages of language standardization are identification, deconstruction, reconfiguration, and collaboration.
C. Perceptual dialectology research found that the South is the most common answer when people are asked to identify a region wherein people speak distinctly.