Define the following terms

1. Creole a mother tongue formed from the contact of a European language (especially English,
French, Spanish, or Portuguese) with local languages (especially African languages spoken by slaves
in the West Indies).
2. Decreolization Decreolization, or debasilectalization, is the process by which a vernacular loses
its basilectal, or “creole,” features under the influence of the language from which it inherited most of
its vocabulary.
3. Patois the dialect of a particular region, especially one with low status in relation to the standard
language of the country.
4. pidgin a grammatically simplified form of a language, typically English, Dutch, or Portuguese,
some elements of which are taken from local languages, used for communication between people
not sharing a common language.
5. Variation Variance is the thesis that nearly every assertoric utterance is such that there is no
proposition that. more than one language user believes to be its truth-conditional content.
6. Dialectal Variation Dialectical variation refers to the ways in which languages change and develop,
due to a variety of influences both social and physical, located within groups and stemming from
individuals.
7. Speech communityA speech community is a group of people who share rules for conducting and
interpreting at least one variety of a language or dialect. The term can be applied to a neighborhood, a
city, a region or a nation. We all belong to at least one speech community.
8. Code-switching Code-switching allows people to communicate ideas without speaking those ideas
out loud, a process known as sending a meta-message (a message about a message). If you say, 'I hate
you,' while you smile or wink, the body language is a meta-message that changes the meaning of the
words.
9. Language register The language register (also called linguistic register and speech register)
definition describes the way a person speaks in relation to their audience. A speaker modifies their
language register to signal levels of formality according to their relationship to their audience and
intended purpose of speech.
10. Language continuumA situation where two or more languages in the same geographic region
merge together without a definableboundary.
11. Dialect a particular form of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group.
12. IdiolectIdiolect refers to peculiarity of language use by individuals. It's like fingerprint of your
language use. For example president Trump uses the word “tremendous” often and in particular
intonation.
13. Sociolect the dialect of a particular social class.

14. Vernacular the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or
region.
15. Bilingualism fluency in two or more languages
16. Multilingualism ability to speak more than one languages
17. Monolingualism ability to fluently speak one language
18. A language communityA language community is a collection of people who speak the same
language, typically in the interest of learning or improving their skills.
19. Accent a distinctive way of pronouncing a language, especially one associated with a particular
country, area, or social class.
20. Code-switching Code-switching allows people to communicate ideas without speaking those
ideas out loud, a process known as sending a meta-message (a message about a message). If you say, 'I
hate you,' while you smile or wink, the body language is a meta-message that changes the meaning of the
words.
21. Language decay/death
22. language suicide/language murder
23. Codification of language
24. slang
25. jargon
26. Vernacular
27. Diglossia
28. Bidialectualism
29. Acculturation
30. Cultural Transference
31. Mutually Intelligible
32. Unintelligible
33. Argot
34. Lingua Franca
35. Cultural Transference
36. Superstrate language
37. Substrate language
38. Abstrate language

1. Creole:
○ A stable, natural language that has developed from a mixture of different
languages, often as a means of communication between speakers of
different native languages. Creoles often emerge in multilingual and
multicultural settings.
2. Decreolization:
○ The process by which a creole language undergoes changes, often
becoming more similar to one of its parent languages or another prestige
language.
3. Patois:
○ A term often used to refer to non-standard varieties of a language,
particularly in the Caribbean. In Jamaica, it is often used to describe a
local, informal dialect.
4. Pidgin:
○ A simplified, often makeshift language that develops as a means of
communication between groups that do not share a common language.
Pidgins typically lack native speakers.
5. Variation:
 ○ Differences or changes in a language, whether in pronunciation, grammar,
or vocabulary, that can occur across different regions, social groups, or
contexts.
6. Dialectal Variation:
○ Differences in language use that occur across different dialects of a
language. Dialects may have distinct vocabulary, grammar, and
pronunciation.
7. Speech Community:
○ A group of people who share a common language and interact with one
another. This community may be defined by geographic, social, or cultural
factors.
8. Code-switching:
○ The practice of alternating between two or more languages or dialects
within a conversation. Code-switching often occurs in multilingual or
multicultural environments.
9. Language Register:
○ The level of formality or informality of language use in a particular context.
Different registers are used in various social, professional, or situational
settings.
10. Language Continuum:
○ A range of varieties of a language that gradually blend into one another,
without clear-cut boundaries between them.
11. Dialect:
○ A particular form of a language that is characteristic of a specific group of
speakers or a geographical area.
12. Idiolect:
○ The unique linguistic system of an individual, including their distinct
vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammatical patterns.
13. Sociolect:
○ A variety of language that is associated with a particular social group or
class.
14. Vernacular:
○ The everyday language spoken by a group of people in a particular region
or community.
15. Bilingualism:
○ The ability to speak and understand two languages proficiently.
16. Multilingualism:
○ The ability to speak and understand multiple languages.
17. Monolingualism:
○ The ability to speak and understand only one language.
18. Language Community:
○ A group of people who share a common language and communicate with
one another.
19. Accent:
○ A distinctive way of pronouncing a language, often associated with a
particular region or social group.
20. Code-switching:
○ The practice of alternating between two or more languages or dialects
within a conversation. Code-switching often occurs in multilingual or
multicultural environments.
21. Language Decay/Death:
○ The gradual decline or extinction of a language due to factors such as
decreasing numbers of speakers.
22. Language Suicide/Language Murder:
○ The deliberate suppression or extinction of a language, often due to
political or social factors.
23. Codification of Language:
○ The process of establishing rules and standards for a language, often for
purposes of education or formal communication.
24. Slang:
○ Informal words and expressions that are often used in specific social
groups and may not be considered standard language.
25. Jargon:
○ Specialized vocabulary or expressions used by people in a particular
profession, trade, or social group.
26. Vernacular:
○ The everyday language spoken by a group of people in a particular region
or community.
27. Diglossia:
○ The coexistence of two varieties of the same language, where one is used
in formal or high-prestige settings and the other in informal or low-prestige
settings.
28. Bidialectualism:
○ The ability to switch between two dialects of a language, often associated
with different social contexts.
29. Acculturation:
○ The process by which individuals or groups from one culture adopt
elements of another culture.
30. Cultural Transference:
 ○ The transfer of cultural elements, including language, from one group to
another.
31. Mutually Intelligible:
○ The ability of speakers of different languages or dialects to understand
each other without much difficulty.
32. Unintelligible:
○ Not able to be understood, often referring to speech or language that is
unclear or incomprehensible.
33. Argot:
○ A specialized vocabulary or set of expressions used by a particular group,
often associated with subcultures or secret languages.
34. Lingua Franca:
○ A language that is used as a common means of communication between
speakers of different native languages.
35. Cultural Transference:
○ The transfer of cultural elements, including language, from one group to
another.
36. Superstrate Language:
○ The dominant or prestigious language in a contact situation, often
influencing the subordinate language.
37. Substrate Language:
○ The less dominant or less prestigious language in a contact situation,
often influenced by the superstrate language.
38. Abstrate Language:
○ A language that has lost its former function or significance in a community.