This document discusses the nature of language, dialect, and accent. It defines language and dialect, noting that dialects are varieties of a language that are mutually intelligible. Dialects differ based on region or social factors rather than linguistic ones. Accent refers to differences in pronunciation between varieties. Dialect continuum is used to show how dialects gradually change between geographic areas. Linguistic variables are linguistic items that have variant forms based on non-linguistic factors like age, status, or situation.

1. Language, Dialect and Accent
Dr. K. Lakehal-Ayat
Mentouri University Constantine
2011

2. Nature of a language
• The linguist makes no value judgment. S/he
LANGUAGE
recognizes and accepts the existence of language
varieties.
• School traditions emphasize a single “correct”
standard form.Regional dialects
DIALECT
Social dialects
• Linguistics acknowledges that a certainEnglish, may
or St Br dialect
be treated as a standard form
Sociolects St Am English
• Or is treated as PRESTIGIOUS by some members of
society. Queen’s English
Oxford Accent

3. • Linguists in recent decades have become more
interested in the language of the people who (by a
rigid conception of a St. Language) do not talk
“properly”: language of small children and
foreigners.
• The language of children has therefore a linguistic
interest quite apart from its psychological interest as
the development of speech in infancy.
• The mixed languages of former colonies (Jamaican
Creole or Haitian Creole) have been studied with the
same interest as can be studied Fr or Eng.

4. Language and Dialect
• Both terms are often used interchangeably.
• Principle of mutual intelligibility differentiates
between them.
• In most cases,Any 2 varieties one dialect
A language is a or another depends
the use of which are
NOT on linguistic bases, but rather an socio-political
mutually a navy are taken to Hindi
withthey are mutually on
If
intelligible and
Urdu
factors. army.
UNintelligible , then they are
constitute two dialects of the
separate languages.
Weinreich, 1945:13.
same language.

5. Solely because they are not (or not
recognized as) literary languages
Dialect the Arab worldterm
Subordinate
In of the given
Because the speakers
Language ARABIC
language do not have a state of their own
Because they are not used in press or
Language Super ordinate term
literature, or veryAlgerian A., Moroccan A.,
Dialect little,
Syrian A., etc.
Or because their language lacks prestige.

6. • Anthropological linguists define dialect as the
specific form of a language used by a speech
community.
• No one speaks a language ; everyone speaks a
dialect of a language describes a more or less
Speech community
sociolinguistics that
is
a
concept in
• Those discrete identify a particular dailect a the
who group of people who use language in as
unique and mutually accepted way among
standard or proper version of a language, are
themselves.
in fact using these terms
• TO EXPRESS A SOCIAL DISTINCTION

7. Dialect is also the term used to
describe differences in speech that
are associated with different regions
or different social groups or classes.
• As we move around a speech community, we find
variation in the speech of its members that is
associated with their place of living or their social
grouping.

8. Accent
• Differences in pronunciation between varieties
• Oxford accent: certain phonological
characteristics particular to English spoken in
that town.
• Term is used also to refer to some foreign non
native features in the speech of a person
(foreigner)
• You speak English with an accent

9. Am Eng Br Eng
/ka:r/
Pronunciation Pronunciation
/ka:/
Lexis Lexis
gas petrol
Morphology Morphology
dove dived
I don’t
have a I haven’t
Syntax Syntax
book a book

10. Dialect continuum

11. Linguistic variable
• As a basic tool for distinguishing social variation
• It is a linguistic item which has at least “variant
forms the choice of which depends on other (non
linguistic ) factors such as age, social status and
situation”.
• /j/ -> /dz/, /ʔ/, /g/, /y/
• /q/ -> /q/, /g/, /k/, /ʔ/