Linguistics Varieties of language (06/ 03 hrs) Formal &...
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January 01, 2021
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Linguistics
Varieties of language (06/ 03 hrs)
Formal & informal language
Spoken & written language
Dialects- Social & regional
Registers
Idiolects
Formal & informal language
Standard Language
A standard language is a variety of language that is used by governments, in the media, in schools and for
international communication.
A recognized dictionary or group of dictionaries which embody a standardized spelling and vocabulary.
A recognized grammar which records the forms rules and structures of the language.
A standard system of pronunciation.
Statues or constitutions giving the language an official legal status.
The use of the language in the work of courts and legislations.
Translations of important text in to that language.
The teaching of grammar and spelling in school.
When we investigated the sounds, words and structures of language in earlier chapters, we were concentrating on
the features of only one variety, usually
called the standard language. This is actually an idealized variety, but
exists for most people as the version that is accepted as the official language of their community or country. If we
think of Standard English, it is the version we
believe is found in printed English in newspapers and books is
widely used in the mass media and is taught in most schools. It is the variety we normally try
to teach to those
who want to learn English as a
second or foreign language. It
is clearly associated with education and
broadcasting in public contexts and is
more easily described in terms of the written language (i.e. vocabulary,
spelling, grammar) than the spoken language.
Spoken & written language
Spoken Discourse
Discourse is a language beyond the sentence level. In other words the patterns of language which is
beyond word, phrase, clause or sentence level to communicate.
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EN1214_LSLU_Note from Lecturer Mrs.Nadeeka Laksiri_Typed and edited by Nisal Wanigasuriya
Aspects of connected speech (06/ 03 hrs)
Linking- C+C, C+V, V+V, intrusion
Assimilation- Progressive, Regressive
Elision
assimilation /əˌsɪməˈleɪʃən/ n assimilate /əˈsɪməˌleɪt/ v
When a speech sound changes, and becomes more like another sound which follows it or precedes it, this is called
assimilation. For example, in English then negative
PREFIX
appears as im-
before words such as
possible
-
impossible . As possible starts with a
BILABIAL
sound the prefix im- ends in a bilabial sound. Before words like
tolerant, however the prefix in- : intolerant. As tolerant starts with an
ALVEOLAR
sound, the prefix in- ends in an
alveolar sound. As the following sounds bring about the change, this process is called regressive assimilation.
On the other hand, the difference between the /s/ in the English words cats and the /z/ in the English word dogs is
an example of progressive assimilation because the preceding sounds bring about the change.
assimilation n
a process in which a group gradually gives up its own language, culture, and system of values and takes on those
of another group with a different language, culture, and system of values, through a period of interaction. see also
ACCULTURATION, SOCIAL DISTANCE.
Assimilation
When two sound segments occur in sequence and some aspect of one segment is taken or “copied” by the other,
the process is known as assimilation. If we think of the physical production of speech, we realize that this regular
process happens simply because it‟s quicker, easier and more efficient for our articulators as they do their job In
isolation, we would typically pronounce [ɪ] and [æ] without any nasal quality at all.
However, when we say words like pin and
pan in everyday speech, the anticipation of forming the final nasal
consonant will make it easier to go into the nasalized articulation in advance and consequently the vowel sounds
in these words will be, in more precise transcription, [ı ̃] and [æ ̃] This is a
very regular feature of English
speakers‟ pronunciation. It is so regular, in fact, that a phonological rule can be stated in the following way: “Any
vowel becomes nasal
whenever it immediately precedes a nasal.”
This type of assimilation process occurs in a
variety of different contexts.
By itself, the word can may be pronounced as [kæn], but, when we say I can go, the influence of
the following
velar
[ɡ] will almost certainly make the preceding nasal sound come out
as [ŋ] (the velar nasal) rather than [n]
(the alveolar nasal). The most commonly observed conversational version of the phrase is [aɪkəŋɡoʊ]. Notice that
the vowel in can has also changed to schwa [ə] from the isolated-word version [æ].
In many words spoken carefully, the vowel receives stress, but in the course of ordinary everyday talk, that vowel
may no longer receive any stress and naturally reduce to schwa. We may, for example, pronounce and as [ænd]
by itself, but in the normal use of the phrase you and me, we usually say [ən], as in [juənmi].
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EN1214_LSLU_Note from Lecturer Mrs.Nadeeka Laksiri_Typed and edited by Nisal Wanigasuriya
Elision
elision /ɪˈlɪʒən/ n elide /ɪˈlaɪd/ v
the leaving out of a sound or sounds in speech. For example,
in rapid speech
in English,
suppose is
often
pronounced as/spəʊz/, factory as /fæktri/ and mostly as /məʊsli/.
see also
ELLIPSIS, EPENTHESIS
Elision
In the last example, illustrating the normal pronunciation of you and me, the [d] sound of the word and was not
included in the transcription. That‟s because it isn‟t usually pronounced in this phrase. In the environment of a
preceding nasal [n] and a following nasal [m], we simply don‟t devote speech energy to including the stop sound
[d]. This isn‟t laziness, it‟s efficiency.
There is also typically no [d] sound included in the everyday pronunciation of a word like friendship [frɛnʃɪp].
This process of not pronouncing a sound segment that might be present in the deliberately careful pronunciation
of a word in isolation is described as elision.
In consonant clusters, especially in coda position, /t/ is a common casualty in this process, as in the typical
pronunciation [æspeks] for aspects, or in [himəsbi] for the phrase he must be. We can, of course, slowly and
deliberately pronounce each part of the phrase we asked him, but the process of elision (of /k/) in casual
conversation is likely to produce [wiæstəm].
Vowels also disappear, as in [ɛvri] for every, [ɪntrɪst] for interest, [kæbnət] for cabinet, [kæmrə] for camera,
[prɪznər] for prisoner and [spoʊz] for suppose.
Reduced & full forms (strong & weak forms) (06/ 03 hrs)
Strong from / strɔŋ fɔːm/ || / strɔŋ fɔrm/ n
One of the possible forms in which a word appears in speech. If a word is said in isolation or if it is stressed (eg
he can pay us), the strong form is used (ex - /kæn/ can). If a word is unstressed, it often appears in its weak form,
For example, the vowel sound in can does not have the same quality in the weak form and is reduced in length.
(Ex- kən)
Strong and weak forms
“What do we mean by „strong‟ and „weak‟? We could describe them partly in terms of stress (by saying, for
example, the strong syllables are stressed and weak syllables unstressed)”
Weak syllables can only have four types of centre:
The vowel ə (“Schwa”) A close front unrounded vowel in the general area of iː and ɪ A close back rounded vowel in the general area of uː and ʊ A syllabic consonant
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