This document discusses the definitions of language and dialect. It notes that dialects are regional varieties of language, and that languages can be viewed as collections of dialects with one standardized variety. A dialect becomes a standard language when it is adopted by a ruling class, acquires a written form through standardization processes, and expands its vocabulary through cultural and technological development. The document uses examples of dialect continua in Europe and the relationship between Norwegian and Swedish to illustrate these concepts.

1. Language and dialect
(first-year course: The Talking
Animal, Autumn 2009)

2. Language
dialects
?
What do we mean
by:
language?
dialect?
•Some possible definitions:
Languages are divided into dialects
Dialects are regional varieties of language
Dialects are regional and social varieties of language
But first we have to ask: what do we
mean by a language?

4. Eidskog
Eda
ei
stein
e
sten

6. Eid Eda
stein sten

7. Oslo
Stock-
holm
← dialect continuum →

8. Oslo
Stock-
holm
Eda
Eid

9. Oslo
Stock-
holm
Norwegian Swedish
socio-political entities
Eda
Eid

13. Dialect continua in Europe

14. Langauge B
Language A
Language B
Garobia Porkistan
Gorb
Porki
A national border in a
dialect continuum

15. Language A
Language B
bilingual area
Banandia
Gorskch
Nanamai
Pthsiskt
A national border between two
different language families

16. Dialect continua in Europe

17. What is a dialect?
What a language?
Popular understanding:
1. A dialect is a type of language spoken by
uneducated or country people. It is a
corrupt form of the “correct” language. It
is derived from the “corrrect” form.
Those who speak the language
“correctly” do not speak “dialect”.

18. What is a dialect?
What a language?
Or:
2. A language is a collection of dialects,
one of which has been adopted as the
standard variety, which people think of
as “the language”.
The standard variety is simply another
dialect.

19. A dialect becomes a standard:
1. Selection. The dialect of the ruling or most
influential class is adopted as the standard.
2. Literacy. It acquires a written form.
3. Standardizaton. Grammars and
dictionaries are composed, spelling
becomes fixed, and are competing
grammatical or spelling forms current, one
is adopted as correct and the other(s) are
deemed incorrect.
4. Elaboration. Its vocabulary increases with
cultural, philosophical, technological and
scientific development.

20. the standard language:
“French”, “German”
REGIONAL DIALECTS
Social
axis
Geographical axis

21. Norsk Svenska
Eidskog Eda

23. To Sweden, 1658

24. I

25. Weinreich 1945
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_language_is_a_dialect_with_
an_army_and_navy
"Vos iz der khilek fun a dialekt biz a
shprakh?" Ikh hob gemeynt, az es ruft zikh
im der maskilisher bitl, un ikh hob im gepruvt
aroyffirn afn rikhtikn veg, nor er hot mikh
ibergerisn "Dos veys ikh, ober ikh vel aykh
gebn a besere definitsye. A shprakh iz a
dialekt mit an armey un flot."