Unit 11 The varieties of English (II)

Review  What is meant by “register”? Use an example to illustrate.  What do we mean by “social dialect”?

Major contents 12.1 Speech community 12.2 Pidgin and Creole 12.3 Bilingualism and diglossia 12.4 Code mixing and code switching

12.1 Speech community  Speech community is a concept in sociolinguistics that describes a more or less discrete group of people who use language in a unique and mutually accepted way among themselves.  Speech communities can be members of a profession with a specialized jargon, distinct social groups like high school students or hip hop fans, or even tight-knit groups like families and friends. In addition, online and other mediated communities, often constitute speech communities.

12.2 Pidgin and Creole  Pidgins are mixed or blended languages used by people who speak different languages for restricted purposes such as trading. Chinese-English pidgin: limited vocabulary and reduced grammar.  When a pidgin has become the primary language of a speech community and is acquired by the children of that speech community as their mother tongue, it is said to be a Creole. The original pidgin is expanded in terms of its grammar and vocabulary. English-based Creole of Jamaica and the French- based Creole of Haiti.

Discuss  PP No. 2  P. 216 No. 3

12.3 Bilingualism and diglossia  Bilingualism: two languages are used side by side with each with each having a different role to play; language switching/code switching occurs when the situation changes. It is often a result of immigration.  Diglossia: two varieties of a language exist side by side throughout the community, with each having a definite role to play. [Ferguson in 1959]

High variety Low variety  (classical Arabic) (colloquial Arabic) sermon in church or mosque conversation with family, friends news broadcast radio soap opera personal letter instruction to servants, waiters political speech caption on political cartoon poetry folk literature

12. 4 Code mixing and code switching  最近，我非常 happy 。  Code mixing 就是语码混用。  就这样吧， bye-bye 。

 Watch a film clip from “ 天下无贼 ”.  P. 217 No. 5

Discuss  P. 217 No. 6

Presentation Session  The change of English

Assignments: PP No. 1 P. 221 No. 7