Variation and Language-Sociolinguistics

1. Variation and Language
Sonya Ayu Kumala, M.Hum

2. Key concepts :
• Variable and Variants
• Regional dialects
• Stereotypes, Markers, Indicators

3. Variable and Variants
• Variable is the general or abstract feature
• Variants is the actual instantiations of the
variable in speech
• Eg. Cheer has variation in pronounciation
• [tiz]
• [tez]

4. Variable
Variant Variant

5. Example in British English (BE)
and American English (AE)
Spelling :
Colour vs Color
Honour vs honor
Neighbour vs neighbor
* The omission letter u in AE
Travelling vs traveling
Jewellery vs jewelry
Programme vs programe
Skillful vs skilful

6. Example
• Phoneme – realisation of phoneme
Eg : [p] – [p], [p], rap, pinch
[k] – [k], [k], back, key
• In bahasa : [e] vs []
Eg : Dekat, September,

7. Regular vs Probabilistic
• Relation between the abstract concepts (variable) and
actual variants sometimes predictable (regular) and
unpredictable (probabilistics)
• Eg :
• [he] vs [hir]

8. • Constraint : factors that limit or restrict the
variation of certain variable in sociolinguistics
study.
• If the distribution of variants is neither
random/free or show a systemic correlation with
independent factors.

9. • Free variation : The idea that some variants
alternate with each other without any realiable
contraints on their occurence in a particular
context by particular speaker.
• Free variation = unconstrained
• Determinism = there is a strong causal
realationship between two factors (one
determines how the others will be)

10. • Dialectology : language mapping
• Regional variation highlight the importance of
non-linguistics factors.
• Regional dialect data provide information about
the linguistics principles and contraints to
variation and change.
• Social dialectology
• Linguistics structure and aspects.
• Social structure and aspects.

11. • Sociolinguistics variable = linguistics
variable, that is constrained by social or non
linguistics factors.
Dialectology
Regional dialectology : mapping the speakers
and regions/places

12. Standard, Norms, Alternations
• By comprehending the standart english :
a.Different local accents
b.Attitudes to different accents
c.Social and historical process
d.Referring the norms which representsan
intersections of others sociolinguitics
phenomena (education, social status, etc)

13. Martha’s vineyard
• Language variation : linguistics variant vs social
order
• Interspeaker variation
• Intraspeaker variation

14. Regional Dialect
• The dialect that occurs because there is a
difference position/region.
• Dialect:
- Social dialect
- Regional dialect

15. Stereotype, marker, indicators
• Stereotype : linguistics feature that is
widely recognized and is very often the
subject of dialect performances.
• Markers : a variable that speakers less
aware.
• Indicators : a variable that speakers
aware.

16. REFERENCES
• Meyerhoff, Miriam. 2006. Introducing
Sociolinguistics. London: Routledge