Sociolinguistics

Language, Dialects, Register and Style

All languages exhibit internal variation, that is, each language
exists in a number of varieties and is in one sense the sum of
those varieties (Wardaugh: 2006).

We can define variety of a language as a set of linguistic items

or human speech patterns (sounds, words, grammatical
features, etc) which can be associated with some external
factors (a geographical area or social group) (Wardaugh:
2006).

This can make us conclude that Canadian English, American

English, Brazilian Portuguese, Angolan Portuguese are
varieties of English and Portuguese respectively.
The terms Language and Dialect are both defined as a vehicle
of communication used by a particular community or society.
However, language is always seen as a super-ordinate and
standard variety. Whereas, dialect, on the other hand, is often
seen as a lower, subordinate and non-standard variety.

The term Language is used to refer to an abstract system

underlying the behaviour in speech, writing, and signing of an
entire community or society. In other words we can say that
language is regarded as a system of speaking, writing, and
signing common to a group of people (Mesthrie: 2001).
The term dialect has generally been used to refer to a
subordinate variety of a language. When there are systematic
differences in the way different groups speak a language, we
can say that each group speaks a dialect of that language
(Fromkin: 2011).

A dialect is not an inferior or degraded form of a language,

and logically could not be so since a language is a collection of
dialects (Fromkin: 2011).
 Bell’s Criteria on the Distinction between
Language and Dialect
Due to this difficulty we may have to distinguish a language
from a dialect, Bell (1976) has listed seven criteria that may
be useful in discussing different kinds of languages.

Standardisation – is a process by which a language has been

codified in some way. That process usually involves the
development of grammars, spelling books, dictionaries and
possible literature.

Vitality – refers to the existence of a living community of

speakers. This criterion can be used to distinguish languages
that are ‘alive’ from those that are ‘dead’.
Historicity – refers to the fact that a particular group of
people finds a sense of identity through using a particular
language. Social, political, religious or ethnic ties may also be
important for the group, but the bond provided by a common
language may prove to be the strongest tie of all.

Autonomy – this criterion suggests that a language must be

felt by its speakers to be different from other languages.

Reduction – refers to the fact that a particular variety may be

regarded as a sub-variety rather than as an independent
entity.
Mixture – refers to feelings speakers have about the ‘purity’
of the variety they speak. This criterion partly explains why
speakers of pidgins and creoles have difficulty in classifying
what they speak as full languages.

De facto norms – refers to the feeling that many speakers

have that there are both ‘good’ speakers and ‘poor’ speakers
and that the good speakers represent the norms of proper
usage (Wardaugh: 2006).
 Regional Dialects and Social Dialects

Dialectal diversity develops when people are separated

geographically and socially. The changes that occur in the
language spoken in one area or group do not necessarily
spread to another (Fromkin: 2011).

A change that occurs in one region and fails to spread to other

regions of the language community gives rise to dialect
differences. When enough such differences accumulate in a
particular region, the language spoken has its own character,
and that version of a language is referred to as a regional
dialect (Fromkin: 2011).
Regional variation in the way a language is spoken is likely to
provide one of the easiest ways of observing variety in
language (Wardaugh: 2011).

Whereas regional dialects are geographically based, social

dialects originate among social groups and are related to a
variety of factors, the main ones apparently being social class,
religion, and ethnicity.