COMMUNICATION 1 LANGUAGE

WHAT IS A LANGUAGE COMMUNITY? The term language community is used in reference to all the speakers of a particular language. This means that they do not have to reside within the same geographical location

LANGUAGE COMMUNITY CONTINUED Now, the Spanish/English in each of these locations vary in structure and vocabulary, these variations are known as dialects. So a dialect is one of the various forms of a particular language, spoken by a group in the language community. For example, Jamaican Standard English, American Standard English and British Standard English are all dialects of English. There are also non-standard dialects, such as Black English/Ebonics in the USA and Cockney in England.

LANGUAGE REGISTERS Variation is not only among dialects but also within an individual dialect of a language. A speaker of any language can choose to speak in a form which may range from a level of formality to one of informality. This form (formality to informality) is referred to as a register. For example, in Jamaica, Standard English is a formal register and Jamaican Creole (Patois) is a more informal register. The words colloquial and vernacular are used to label some informal registers.

LANGUAGE REGISTER The language choices that a speaker makes are primarily the result of the social situation in which the language is used. A speaker’s word choice and syntactic ordering of his or her speech act in a particular social context is referred to as register..

LANGUAGE REGISTERS In deciding which register is suitable for a given situation, one has to consider factors such as the audience for which the communication is intended, the nature of the subject matter being spoken or written about, the medium which may or may not include non-verbal elements of communication and the writer’s attitude towards the content he or she writes about.

LANGUAGE REGISTERS Types of RegisterIntended Audience Content Communicated Linguistic Features FormalStrangers/ persons in socially formal situations such as at ceremonies General information; carefully screened thoughts and feelings Use of standard language; complete sentences CasualAcquaintances and people not personally known General info. And non- personal thoughts and feelings. Incomplete sentences and ellipsis; use of slang; use of coded language and specialised vocabulary

LANGUAGE REGISTERS CONT Types of RegisterIntended Audience Content Communicated Linguistic Features IntimateVery close acquaintances and relatives Personal thoughts and feelings Incomplete sentences and ellipsis; use of slang; use of coded language and specialized vocabulary PrivateIntra-Personal; self Innermost thoughts, impressions and feelings kept within the self Use of standard and non- standard structures; ellipsis and slang

Types of RegisterIntended Audience Content Communicated Linguistic Features FrozenCan be appropriate for formal and informal situations Can be appropriate to communicate general information or personal thoughts May possess standard and non-standard features of language ConsultativeCan be appropriate for formal and informal discourse in which the listener is expected to give continuous feedback to the speaker Appropriate for general info. as in context of a teacher/pupil conversation or personal information as in context of a doctor’s visit or business transaction. May possess standard or non- standard features depending on the context. May involve non-verbal elements.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE