Week 7

Dialect
 Objectives; What are Conventions; Learning Conventions; Who Decides on Correctness;
Social Levels of a Language; Dialects; Accents; Idiolects

DIALECTS
dialect is one variety of a language used by a
group of people in the same general language
group (language variety)
 A language variety, spoken by a speech
community that is characterized by systematic
features
(e.g.phonological , lexical, grammatical ) that
distinguish it from other varieties of the same
language.)
 Objectives; What are Conventions; Learning Conventions; Who Decides on Correctness;
Social Levels of a Language; Dialects; Accents; Idiolects

How do Dialects Differ?

the words
◦ e.g. New Zealand or British English: bloke
(meaning man)
the grammar
◦ e.g. English in Northern England: I were walking
along the road.
◦ North standard English: Did you eat yet?
the pronunciation of words
◦ e.g. North American English for dance [dæns]
◦ British standard English for dance [da:ns]
 Objectives; What are Conventions; Learning Conventions; Who Decides on Correctness;
Social Levels of a Language; Dialects; Accents; Idiolects

How Are Dialects Formed?

Geographical factor
Social situation
Occupation
Age
Education
Gender
Social status
Ethnicity
Kinds of dialect
1. Regional dialect –it is very distinctive local varieties
- it is reflected in the differences in pronunciation,
in the choice and form of words and in syntax
- there is a dialect continuum
- various pressure political , social, cultural and
educational serve to harden current national
2. social dialect
Social dialect originate from social groups and
depend on a variety of factors; social, class, religion
and ethnicity.
Factors such occupation , place of
residence,education, income, racial or ethnic origin,
cultural background , caste, religion related to the
way people speak .
2. Social dialect – examples
- castle in India often determines which variety of a
language a speaker use
-Christian, muslim and jewish in bagdad speak
different variety of Arabic
- ethnic group in America e.g Labov’s work in New
york.
-speakers of Jewish and Italian ethnicity
differentiated from standard variety of English
 Objectives; What are Conventions; Learning Conventions; Who Decides on Correctness;
Social Levels of a Language; Dialects; Accents; Idiolects

ACCENTS
Pronunciation
geographical in nature
influenced by the sounds and patterns of the first
language

THE TERM ACCENT IS RESTRICTED TO THE

DESCRIPTION OF ASPECTS OF
PRONUNCIATION THAT IDENTIFY WHERE
AN INDIVIDUAL SPEAKER IS FROM.
 Objectives; What are Conventions; Learning Conventions; Who Decides on Correctness;
Social Levels of a Language; Dialects; Accents; Idiolects

Idiolects
a slightly different personal accent
Exercise
1. Find out the definition of dialect , according to
some experts
2. Find out some examples of DIALECT - words –
English ( British - American )
3. Find out some examples of dialect –words
Indonesian. (Semarang – padang )