Myat Pwint Yee Kyaw

Diploma in TESOL (Batch-44)

Dialet

Dialet means differences of vocabulary, grammar and possibly also accent. For
example, a Northern American might say, “hello.” A Southern American might say,
“howdy.” There are geographical, historical and social or class dialects.

Geographical dialects are the most common and distinguishable dialects. In large
urban centres, innovations unknown in the former dialect of the region frequently
develop. Thus, in cities the social stratification of dialects is especially relevant and
far-reaching, whereas in rural areas, with a conservative way of life, the traditional
geographic dialectal differentiation prevails. Although dialects differ from the
standard form of a language, they are usually intelligible to everyone who can speak
that language. For example, someone from the South of England would mostly
understand someone from the North of England.

Language can also vary historically. Most English speakers can recognize ‘old
fashioned English’ although they might not identify exactly when it was used.
However, the language changes rapidly in our lifetime, as well. Among the language
features, vocabulary comes into use, becomes trendy and goes out of fashion
relatively fast. Pronunciation changes can also be seen, but changes in grammar are
the most controversial. For instance, there have been many angry letters in the up-
market newspapers in England insisting ‘hopefully’ is an adverb.

In many localities, dialectal differences are connected with social classes. More-
highly educated speakers and, often, those belonging to a higher social class tend to
use more features belonging to the standard language, whereas the original dialect of
the region is better preserved in the speech of the lower and less-educated classes.
Educational differences between speakers strongly affect the extent of their
vocabulary. In addition, practically every profession has its own expressions, which
include the technical terminology and sometimes also the casual words
or idioms peculiar to the group. Slang too is characterized mainly by a specific
vocabulary and is much more flexible than an ordinary dialect, as it is subject to
fashion and depends strongly on the speaker’s age group.

Moreover, there is the usage of a restricted code among peers of the same age and the
same social status. Restricted code means language that is more context-bound, that
does not make explicit the references beyond the immediate situation. Bernstein says,

"Because a code is restricted it does not mean that a child is non-verbal, nor is he the
technical sense linguistically deprived, for he possesses the same tacit understanding
of the linguistic rule system as any child. It does not mean that the children cannot
produce, at any time, elaborated speech variants in particular contexts."
There are some more language varieties that are called registers. Registers vary
according to the participants, the topic of the piece of language, the setting in which
it takes place and the medium, i.e, speech or writing.

Language that varies according to the participants can be because of the differences
in their age, sex or status, group identity and their roles in the speech situation.

Language varies with the topic. Each topic has its own vocabulary as well as a certain
range of its grammatical forms.

The setting can also affect vocabulary, the function of language in that setting, and
how formal the language is, These in turn may affect the grammar used.

Language varies according to the medium in which it takes place. This is either
auditory, in speaking and hearing, or visual, in reading and writing. The degrees of
formality associated with different settings in the two media are suggested as follows.

STYLE
Pronunciation/grammar/ Situations and Settings Situations and Settings
vocabulary Speech Writing

INTIMATE Speaking to family and Rare

I d’no close friends

CASUAL
I don’t know Speaking to colleagues Personal letters to family
of equal status and and close friends
acquaintances Memos to oneself
Diaries

INFORMAL Speaking to colleagues of Personal letters to friends

I don’t know unequal status Memos to others
Speaking to strangers Dialogue in novels
Informal meetings

FORMAL
I do not know Formal meetings Business and
I am not aware of it Public addresses official letters
He’s demented Court proceedings Reports. Essays, Novels
He’s psychotic
Please sit down

FROZEN
I am not cognizant of Ceremonial speeches Poetry
the fact Set prayers Legal documents
He suffers from
a psychotic disorder
Pray be seated
The language setting and the participants often dictate a certain degree of formality.
The scale of formality is usually split for convenience into five styles. They are

1. Intimate, free
2.Casual, friendly, close
3.Informal, consultative
4.Formal, correct, deliberative
5.Frozen, rigid, ceremonial, oratorical

The table above shows examples of how pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar may
change with the degree of formality. It also gives examples of how the medium and
setting may dictate the degree of formality used. Generally we need to be more formal
in writing than in speech.