1. Cracking Anagrams…
Starter
O Come up with an anagram (word jumble)
for a key word from the topic of
spoken language.
O Don’t let anyone else see your anagram.
O Be prepared to write them on the
board.
2. Tuesday, 30th September
2014
Spoken Language
Study
L.O: To explore the differences
between dialect, sociolect and idiolect.
3. Key words
O Dialect - a way of speaking shared by a
particular group of people, usually from a
particular geographic area
O Sociolect - a social dialect: a way of speaking
shared by a particular group of people from a
particular age, ethnic group or social class
O Idiolect - our own particular, personal way of
speaking.
4. Sociolect
O Sociolect is the language spoken by a: social
group, age group, ethnic group and class.
O Describe your sociolect.
O I will tell you about my sociolect – could you
have guessed these influences based on the
way I talk?
5. N-Dubz
Watch the clip on N-Dubz
teaching viewers
their personal way of
talking
O What do you think of
their sociolect?
O Do you know anyone
who tries to adopt this
way of talking?
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=nsMX6ly4hGw
6. Idiolect
O Everybody uses language, in their speech and
writing, in their own individual way. Believe it or
not, the language that you use is as unique to you
as your finger prints.
O The way an individual uses language is called their
idiolect.
O There are many different factors that contribute
to a person’s idiolect. Since no one has exactly the
same life-style, or experiences exactly the same
things, no one uses language in exactly the same
way as you.
7. Who do you think you are?
1. What type of accent do your parent(s) have?
2. Where were you born?
3. How old were you when you first started any form of
public schooling.
4. Are you in regular contact with your grandparents?
5. Is anyone in your family bilingual?
6. Does anyone in your family have a weak grasp of the
English language?
7. Have you ever moved from one part of the world,
country, or city, to the other? E.g. From North to South,
East to West etc.
8. What’s your favourite TV show?
9. Who is your favourite musician?
10. What type of literature (books, magazines, newspapers)
do you often read?
7
9. Next, you will have to come up with
examples in your own idiolect that reflect
your background.
I have lived my entire life in Birmingham. My primary
socialisation did not expose me to the ‘Brummy’ accent or
dialect. My parents have fairly neutral accents because they
have not lived in a particular region of the country long
enough to pick up on any aspect of an accent permanently.
Also the social groups they are involved in have fairly neutral
accents. This means that as a pre-school child, I had no trace
of a ‘Brummy’ accent.
During primary school, I was accused of having a ‘posh’ accent,
due to lack of exposure to other ways of talking. Near the
end of primary school and in secondary school, I began to
subconsciously adapt my accent and dialect in order to fit in
with my peers. This led to parental criticism, including
comments on my grammar and pronunciation. For instance, if I
were to say ‘would’ve’, I may pronounce it ‘would of’, which is
9
incorrect.
