1. Dialects, Accents, Slang, and Jargon
Based in part on
Childs, Wolfram & Schilling-Estes, Smith, and Rickford

2. Definitions: Accent vs. Dialect
Accent – The description of aspects of pronunciation which identify where an individual speaker is from, socially, or regionally.
Dialect – Language spoken by the people of a particular place, time, or social group

3. Who in this room speaks a dialect? Dialects
Dialects of American English as YOU see them
Dialects of American English

4. Some Popular Senses of “Dialect”
‘We went to Boston for a vacation and the people there sure do speak a dialect.’
‘Dialect’ here refers simple to those who speak differently from oneself.

5. Some Popular Senses of “Dialect”
‘I know we speak a dialect in the mountains, but it’s a very colorful way of speaking.’
‘Dialect’ here refers to those varieties of English whose features have become widely recognized through American society, e.g.,
Southern drawl
New York accent
Etc.

6. For a variety of historical and social reasons, some dialects have become much more marked than others in American society, and speakers of those varieties therefore accept the dialect label more comfortably.

7. Some Popular Senses of “Dialect”
‘The kids in that neighborhood don’t really speak English; they speak a dialect.’
‘Dialect’ here is perceived as an imperfect attempt to speak ‘correct’ or ‘proper’ English
For example:
Three mile vs. Three miles
Her ears be itching vs. Her ears itch
She done grew vs. She’s grown up

8. Linguists maintain that:
‘Dialect’ is a neutral label to refer to any variety of a language that is shared by a group of speakers.
To speak a language is to speak some dialect of that language

9. In this definition, there is no inherently ‘good’ or ‘bad’ dialects
‘Dialect’ is simply how we refer to any language variety that typifies a group of speakers within a language.
Socially favored or ‘standard’ varieties constitute dialects every bit as much as those varieties spoken by socially disfavored groups whose language differences are socially stigmatized.

10. Facts about dialects
All languages consist of dialects (a language is a group of dialects; to speak a language is to speak a dialect of that language)
Therefore, everyone speaks at least one dialect
Dialect differences are usually minor and dialects of a language are usually mutually intelligible
Dialects are geographically, socially, politically determined

11. Facts about dialects Dialects can vary with respect to:
Phonology – pronunciation or the sound system of a language, e.g. r-less dialects of East Coast, pin/pen
Morphology – the smallest meaningful units of a language, e.g., ‘He don’t know.’ ‘The house needs painted.’
Syntax – grammar or the words are put together to form sentences, e.g., ‘We prevented the house (from) being destroyed.’
Lexicon – vocabulary or the words of a language (e.g., lift/elevator, truck/lorry, pail/bucket)

12. Facts about dialects
Some linguists distinguish between ‘dialect’ and ‘accent’:
Different dialects have differences of grammar and vocabulary;
Different accents have differences of pronunciation;
Every user of English uses one dialect or another, and one accent or another.

13. Facts about dialects
The status of any given dialect is arbitrarily determined (‘A language is a dialect with a navy and army’)
E.g., Swedish vs. Norwegian
But dialects can sometimes be mutually unintelligible
E.g., Mandarin vs. Cantonese
The terms ‘dialect’ & ‘language’ are politically and socially loaded.

14. Facts about dialects
Dialect variation is a matter of difference, not deficit.
Nonstandard dialects are “self-contained” systems, with their regular phonological and syntactic rules.
Nonstandard dialects of English are close relatives to SE, sometimes reflecting older forms of SE.

15. American Dialects American dialects: How Linguists see them
What are the major US dialects that linguists identify?
American dialects: How people around the country see them
Which dialects do many Americans consider “bad English”?
What do the majority of Americans see as the norm?
America Dialects: How Hollywood sees them.

16. What is Standard English?
What it is not:
An arbitrary, a priori description of English
The usage of a particular group
The statistically most frequently occurring forms of English
A form imposed upon those who use it.
Peter Strevens

17. A Working Definition of Standard English
A particular dialect of English, being the only non-localized dialect, of global currency without significant variation, universally accepted as the appropriate educational target in teaching English; which may be spoken with an unrestricted choice of accent.

18. Standard English
Strevens defines ‘Standard English’ as that dialect of English that is not associated with any particular locality, and therefore occurs in any and every locality.
It is not paired with a specific accent.

19. Global Currency for Standard English
Those who use Standard English – whether as their mother tongue or as a foreign or second language
Are not confined to any single locality or geographical area;
May be found in any inhabited region of the world.

20. Universal Acceptance of SE
Although SE dialect is universally accepted as the educational target, no single accent fills an equivalent position.
The tacit acceptance of SE dialect for educational purposes does not mean that it is ‘best’ in some universal sense.

21. Standard English and Social Class
Most, if not all, English users switch between SE and some other dialect.
People vary their language according to the social circumstances.
Non-conformity to the norms of language use appropriate for the context is often seen as unacceptable behavior.

22. Dialects, Standards, Vernaculars Wolfram & Schiling-Estes
What do we listen to when we listen to people talk?
HOW people talk
as much or more than to
WHAT people say
After listening, we usually make judgments about people by the kind of language they use
Their regional background
Their social status
Their ethnicity
Their education
etc.

23. So there are some who believe that language differences serve as the single most reliable indicator of social position in our society:
When we live a certain way, we are expected to match that lifestyle with our talk;
When we don’t meet people’s expectations to match that lifestyle with our talk (e.g., a teacher talking like a punk), the mismatch between words and behavior is itself a topic for conversation.

24. Language differences are unavoidable in a society composed of a variety of social groups.

25. So what is ‘Formal Standard English’?
‘Formal Standard English’ is a variety (i.e., dialect) of English that
Is based on the written language of established writers
Has been codified in English grammar texts
Is perpetuated in schools
Is conservative and resistant to change

26. Then what is ‘Informal Standard English’?
Informal Standard English is a variety (i.e., dialect) of English that
Exists on a continuum, rather than a categorical notion
Is flexible with respect to specific features of regional varieties
Employs specific criteria to judge speech as standard
Is defined in terms of what it is not
Avoidance of socially stigmatized forms, e.g.,
double negatives – ‘They didn’t do nothing.’
different verb agreement patterns – ‘They’s o.k.’
different irregular verb forms – ‘She done it.’

27. Labeling Vernacular Dialects
Strong affective associations related to particular labels
Negro Dialect, Substandard Negro English, Nonstandard Negro English, Black English Afro-American English, Ebonics, Vernacular Black English, African American (Vernacular) English, African American Language
Latino/a English, Chicano/a English, Hispanic English, Cholo
California talk, valley girl, surfer
Which do you prefer? Why? Are they the same?
What do you call the vernacular you speak?

28. What’s ‘Standard’? What’s a ‘Dialect’?
Notice the different definitions of both ‘standard’ and ‘dialect’ found in the readings for this lecture.
Can you write a paragraph outlining the differences siting sources read in class?

29. Dialect
Dialect is language spoken by the people of a particular place, time or social group
What are some examples of how people use different words now than they did two hundred years ago?
What are some examples of how people in the Midwest use different words than people in the South?
What are some examples of how wealthier people might use different words than less affluent people would?

30. Examples of Dialect
Look at the following two ways someone might say “Hi” to a group of friends when they walk into a room. Which speaker is most likely from America? Which speaker is most likely from England?
Well, hey there, mates. You catch the game on the tele this evening?
Hey guys, what’s up? Did you watch the Chiefs game last night?

31. Examples of Dialect Hey, do you all want to go to dinner tonight?
Look at the following two ways someone might invite a group of friends to dinner. Which speaker is most likely from the Midwest? Which speaker is most likely from the South?
Hey, do you all want to go to dinner tonight?
Howdy there. Do y’all want to go grab some dinner?

32. Examples of Dialect
Look at the following two passages. Which passage was most likely written recently? Which passage was probably written hundreds of years ago?
It could have betokened nothing short of the anticipated execution of some noted culprit, on whom the sentence of a legal tribunal had but confirmed the verdict of public sentiment.
From The Scarlet Letter
The day was for the most part routine for Germany’s eighty-two million citizens. Train stations were buzzing, coffee shops busy, government offices going about their business.
From The New York Times

33. hypos stimulus, burst of energy (hyper) gay happy
What are some examples of how people use different words now than they did two hundred years ago?
200 years ago Now
hypos stimulus, burst of energy (hyper)
gay happy
aforesaid said before
molested disturbed, bothered
“MANY years ago, I contracted an intimacy with a Mr. William Legrand. He was of an ancient Huguenot family, and had once been wealthy; but a series of misfortunes had reduced him to want. To avoid the mortification consequent upon his disasters, he left New Orleans, the city of his forefathers, and took up his residence at Sullivan's Island, near Charleston, South Carolina.”
The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe

34. Slang is informal words used in casual conversation.
By informal, we mean:

35. Slang is informal words used in casual conversation.
By informal, we mean:
without formality; casual

36. Slang
Below are examples of how we can turn formal sentences (left) into slang sentences (right).
Yes Yep.
That was unusual That was random.
My parents are here to pick me up My ride’s here.
Our team needs to play Our team needs to take care
our best tonight of business tonight.

37. Jargon
Jargon refers to the language and technical terms used by people of the same profession or group.
By profession, we mean:
any vocation or business

38. Examples of jargon
Many professions use words or phrases that an average person would not know the meaning of.
Doctors and nurses use many phrases when talking to each other that an average person would not understand:
Anterior
Granuloma
Subdural
Pericardial effusion
Renogram

39. Examples of jargon
Many other professionals often use jargon. Some common professions that use jargon:
Police
Lawyers
Scientists
Businessmen and businesswomen
Athletes

40. Examples of Jargon B&E – Breaking and Entering
DUI – Driving Under the Influence