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Regional and Social Dialects
Regional and Social Dialects
Worked by:
• Lidia Kashari
• Marsidsa Çaushaj
About regional dialects and varieties…
Dialect vs Variety
Dialect vs Language
While all dialects are varieties, not all language varieties are considered dialects. Varieties cover a wide
range of language forms, but dialects are specifically about regional or social differences in language.
Why are some ways of speaking called languages while others
are called dialects?
In the Southern United States, people call shoes you work out in
"tennis shoes," while in the East Coast, people call these shoes
"sneakers.“
Each regional dialect also has its vocabulary that people within their
regional dialects might not use or understand. For example, in the
Inland North dialect, words like Buckeye (an Ohio resident) and Fish
tug (a Michigan fishing boat) are words that someone with the
Inland Mountain Southern regional dialect would not be familiar
with.
Large regions of the US say “car-mel” with two syllables, except for a
large area of the east coast and southeast, where they say
“caramel”.
American English dialects
Regional variation takes When people in a country In larger countries where people
time to develop. British communicate frequently with each from different regions have limited
and US English have many other and the overall population is interaction, they are more likely to
dialects, but in areas small, regional differences in develop noticeable variations in
where English has been language tend to decrease. This is their way of speaking due to less
introduced more recently, because regular communication influence from other regions.
such as Australia and New leads to a blending of language
Zealand, there seems to features, making accents and We can say, regional dialects
be less regional variation. dialects less distinct. provide insight into how people
communicate in different parts of a
country.
Flight of the Conchords refers to
a New Zealand-based comedy
duo composed of Bret McKenzie
and Jemaine Clement. They are
known for their musical comedy
style, which often includes
humorous songs and sketches.
Multiple social factors impact people's dialects, and they tend to overlap. The following
factors can all be considered when analyzing social dialect.
Age
Age influences social dialect because popular expressions change over time. Young
people also tend to make up new slang (informal, shortened language) that older
generations do not learn. For example, students in school might communicate with
phrases like "no cap" that adults do not use. Language use also tends to mature with
age. Adults who exist in more professional environments than young people also
cannot use informal language as frequently. Older people also have an advanced
understanding of how to use language to achieve different goals and adapt to different
social contexts.
Example
Young people might greet one another by saying
Wassup?" while older people grow accustomed to using more formal greetings such as
"Hello! How are you?"
Education