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Language Choice and Varieties Explained

This document discusses linguistic repertoires and language choice. It defines linguistic repertoire as the distinct language varieties available for use in different social contexts. It discusses factors that influence code choice like domains of language use, participant relationships, and formality of setting. Diglossia is defined as a situation where a high and low variety complement each other for formal vs informal uses. Polyglossia refers to communities that use more than two languages. Examples of diglossia and polyglossia in various communities are provided.

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19 views32 pages

Language Choice and Varieties Explained

This document discusses linguistic repertoires and language choice. It defines linguistic repertoire as the distinct language varieties available for use in different social contexts. It discusses factors that influence code choice like domains of language use, participant relationships, and formality of setting. Diglossia is defined as a situation where a high and low variety complement each other for formal vs informal uses. Polyglossia refers to communities that use more than two languages. Examples of diglossia and polyglossia in various communities are provided.

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afiqah
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

ALS455

LANGUAGE CHOICE
Week 2
PREVIEW
• Choosing your variety
• Domains of language use
• Code choice
• Diglossia & polyglossia
CHOOSING YOUR VARIETY
• Take a piece of paper and list out the
linguistic variety that you use in the
following situations:
• a) at home while watching a tv
programme with family
• b) at APB office consulting about course
registration matters
• c) in your lecturer’s office discussing
about an assignment
•
LINGUISTIC REPERTOIRE
• The term was originally introduced by
Gumperz (1964:137):
“the totality of linguistic forms regularly
employed in the course of socially
significant interaction”

• It is the distinct language varieties


available for use in different social
contexts.
LINGUISTIC REPERTOIRE
• It includes different languages, language
variant, language styles and dialects.

• In every community there is a range of


varieties from which people select
according to the context in which they are
communicating.

• It can be in the forms of spoken and


written language.
LINGUISTIC REPERTOIRE
• It is a group of language varieties (first language,
regional language, languages learned at school or
in visits abroad), mastered by the same speaker,
to different degrees of proficiency and for
different uses.

• This individual repertoire changes over the course


of an individual’s lifespan (acquisition of new
languages, “forgetting” languages learned).

•  ([Link]
oire/tabid/1509/language/en-GB/[Link])
Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the
Congo-Zaire
LINGUISTIC REPERTOIRE
• In the Democratic Republic of the Congo-
Zaire:

• a) French is the official language


• b) standard Swahili is used in governemt
offices
• c) tribal languages – eg. Shi (formal and
informal forms)
• d) Indoubil – a variety used among the
young in Bukavu (influence of English,
French and Italian)
LINGUISTIC REPERTOIRE
• Kalala, 16-year-old boy, living in Bukavu, in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo-
Zaire (Goyvaerts et al., 1988,1996)

Kalala’s A soldier arriving in


Bukavu
Shi : Informal style Rega: Informal style
Formal style Formal style
Indoubil Lingala
Kingwana
Standard Zairean Swahili Standard Zairean Swahili
LINGUISTIC REPERTOIRE
What might be the linguistic repertoire of
these people?

• A man who was born in Batu Pahat, raised


in Sg. Petani Kedah, schooled in Putrajaya,
now working in Sarawak.

• A Malaysian girl of Chinese-Indian


parentage living in Penang.
LANGUAGE CHOICE IN SPEECH
COMMUNITIES
• Language choice can be determined by a
domain.

• A domain is “ a sphere of activity


representing a combination of specific
times, settings and role relationships”
(Romaine,2000).

• A domain involves a typical interaction,


between typical participants in a typical
setting.
DOMAINS
• It is a term popularised by an American
sociolinguist, Joshua Fishman.

• A domain of language involves typical


interactions between typical participants
in typical settings about a typical topic.

• Draws on 3 important factors in code


choice – participants, setting and topic.
DOMAINS
• A domain is an area of human activity in
which one particular speech variety or a
combination of several varieties is
regularly used.

• A domain can be considered as a group of


related social situations.

• Helps to describe the patterns of code


choice in a speech community.
TYPES OF DOMAINS
• Family
• Friendship
• Religion
• Education
• Employment
• Business
• Administration
DOMAINS
• Domain models are useful for bilingual &
multilingual communities:
• i) helps to distinguish which domains and varieties
are relevant to language choice
• - provides a description of the community’s
norms
• ii) provides a clear basis for comparing patterns of
code choice in different speech communities
• - easy to compare varieties appropriate in similar
domains in different speech communities.
CODE CHOICE
• Code choice refers to the kinds of
language or language variety a
person prefers to use in interaction.

• It includes different dialects and


language styles.
CODE CHOICE
• Maria, a Londoner whose parents are
Portuguese
Domain Variety/Code
Home/ Family Portuguese
Church/Religion Portuguese
Work/Employment English
School/Education English
FACTORS INFLUENCING CODE CHOICE

i)Participant’s linguistic repertoire


ii ) Solidarity level
iii) Participant’s relationship status
- eg. official-citizen, lecturer-student
iv) Formality of the setting
- eg. rural vs. urban area, presentation vs.
sharing session
v) Function of interaction
- referential vs. affective functions
v) Domain
PRESSURES IN CHOOSING VARIETIES
• In each domain there are various kinds of pressures that
influence the speaker to choose/use one language over the
other.

• i) economic pressures – minority speakers


• e.g Gujaratis in Britain

• ii) administrative pressures – knowledge of second language


is required
• e.g civil servants in Ireland – Irish is required

• iii) becoming educated persons – knowledge of another


language
• e.g in pre-revolutionary Russia –
• French: language of polite, for cultured individuals
PRESSURES IN CHOOSING VARIETIES
• Due to competing pressures, it is difficult to
predict which language an individual will use in a
particular situation.

• In such cases, setting takes precedence over role


relationship – language associated with the
setting is chosen.

• E.g school setting – mother-son as teacher-


student
DIGLOSSIA
• A situation in which a language/variety in a
multilingual community serves a specialised
function and is used for particular purposes.

• Two languages or varieties are used in a speech


community with one being a high variety (H
variety) for formal situations and prestige, and a
low variety (L variety) for informal situations
(everyday conversation).

• H & L varieties complement each other.


DIGLOSSIA
• A characteristic of a speech community rather
than individuals.

• It has 3 important features:


i) Two distinct varieties of the same language
-High variety (H) & Low variety (L)
ii) Each variety is used for distinct functions
iii) H variety is not used in everyday
conversation
DIGLOSSIA
• In Egypt, the local dialect of Arabic is used at
home, while the standard/classical Arabic of the
Qur’an is used in ‘high’ functions e.g giving a
lecture
DIGLOSSIA
• Brunei

Bahasa Melayu ( H variety) Brunei Malay (L variety)


Used in formal contexts Used in informal contexts
Used by certain community Used throughout the
society
Verb comes after the Verb is placed before the
Subject Subject
Has six vowels Has three vowels (a, i, u)
DIGLOSSIA
• India

Shuddha Hindi ( H variety) Hindustani (L variety)


Used in formal contexts Used in informal contexts
Contains Sanskrit words Contains loan words from
Persian & Arabic
Used in official government Used in common speech,
writings, scholarly TV serials, Bollywood
materials, public movies & songs
announcements & public
speaking
Attitudes & Diglossia
H variety:
• - H variety is considered prestigious eg. Haitis on
French language
• - Reasons:
• i) it is fixed and standardised
• ii) it can be described
• iii) it is documented
L variety:
- varied feelings
- low perception eg. Haitis on Haitian Creole
- preferable variety eg. Swiss on Swiss German
POLYGLOSSIA
• A characteristic of a speech community.

• It refers to a speech community which regularly


uses more than two languages.

• A situation in which multiple languages co-exist in


a speech community.
POLYGLOSSIA
• One of the most polyglossic situations is that of
Northern India (Khubchandani 1979).

• At the local level, dialects vary considerably from


village to village that it can become
incomprehensible when a villager visits a bazaar of
the neighbouring village.
POLYGLOSSIA IN INDIA
POLYGLOSSIA IN INDIA

• Local trade languages developed when villagers


visit each other to carry out business
transactions.
• Above regional dialects are the state languages
recognised as official by the Indian Constitution.
• Each state language comprises a colloquial (a
vernacular) and a literary standard form
(mastered only by the literate).
• However, over and above there are two supreme
languages: Hindi and English.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITY
• In particular speech communities, the H and L
variety can be distinguished in terms of their
vocabulary.

• Discuss with your friends and list out words in


English Language and Malay Language that have
the H and L variety.

• Find out also how they are used in different


contexts. (Eg. peruse (H variety, formal) vs. read (L
variety, informal)
THE END

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