Dialects

Nouf A. Alowais

Department of European Language and Literature, King Abdulaziz University

LANE 626: Sociolinguistics

Presentation

Prof. Nuha Alshurafa

February 7, 2024
 OUTLINE

• Dialects
• Received Pronunciation (RP) and
Standard English
• Standard and Non-Standard English
• Caste Dialects
 Dialects

Definition

• The stereotypical “dialect” speaker is an elderly rural person who is all but unintelligible to

modern city

• They are the linguistic varieties that are distinguishable by thier vocabulary, grammar, and

pronunciation; the speech of people from different social and regional groups may differ in these

ways.

(Holmes & Wilson, 2022).

 Dialects cont.,

• Example:

Received Pronunciation (RP) Standard English

- It is a social accent
- It is traditionally associated with educated speakers - It is a social dialect
in England - It is accepted by well-educated English
- It is the prestigious accent in British English speakers throughout the world
- It is characterized by certain pronunciation - It is the accepted form of English language used
features, (the dropping of the "r" sound in words like in formal contexts.
"car" or "far").
Note: Standard English is more accommodating than RP and allows for some variation within its
boundaries
(Holmes & Wilson, 2022).
 Dialects cont.,

Standard and Non- Standard English

• There are many standard English; such as the American standard English, South African standard

English, and Australian standard English. All three differ from the British standard dialect.

• The linguistic forms that are not part of standard English are by definition non-standard.

• Some non-standard forms are associated with the speech of less prestigious social groups. Others are

positively evaluated by their users and by those who admire them.

• Generally, nothing linguistically inferior about non-standard forms.

(Holmes & Wilson, 2022).

 Caste Dialects
• Example
Speaker B
Speaker A
I done it yesterday

I did it yesterday

A Brief Analysis
Speaker B was of higher social status than A.
Varieties of languages have been to be called social-
class dialects. There are grammatical differences
between the speech of these two speakers which give
us clues about their social backgrounds. (Bhatkhande, 2023).
 CONCLUSION

• Dialects
• Received Pronunciation (RP) and
Standard English
• Standard and non-Standard English
• Caste Dialects
Any question?
 REFERENCES

Holmes, J., & Wilson, N. (2022). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics (6th ed.).

Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367821852

Bhatkhande, A. (2023). ‘Do Not Talk Like the Other Castes’: Language and

everyday casteism in a Marathi Brahmin household in Mumbai. In Caste in

everyday life: Experience and affect in Indian society (pp. 271-290). Springer.
Thank you