GENERAL LINGUISTICS 342XL1

Sociolinguistics

Week 1.5. Lecture 1

VARIATION IN LANGUAGE (3)

1. Situational variation
2. Code-switching
3. Diglossia
4. Pidgins and creoles

1. SITUATIONAL VARIATION

Regardless of how one may speak according to class, age, gender, race, regional
affiliations, etc., all speakers adapt their speech according to the social situation or the
context of speech.

Different situations and their varying requirements

Hallidays three-dimensional model of register:

Field
Tenor
Mode

Registers and the speakers verbal repertoire

Overlap between dialects and registers

2. CODE-SWITCHING

3. DIGLOSSIA

Definition: a stable language situation where two distinct language varieties are used
throughout the speech community but in entirely different sets of circumstances

Examples
4. PIDGINS AND CREOLES

Pidgin
Definition: a variety of language that has developed for immediate and practical
purposes of communication between speakers of mutually-incomprehensible languages
who come into contact with each other.

Characteristics

Attitudes towards pidgins

Creole
Definition: a creole is a pidgin that has acquired native speakers

Characteristics

Attitudes towards creoles

Q. Where are pidgins and creoles spoken?

FURTHER READING:

Montgomery (1995), Chapters 4, 6.

Wardhaugh (1997), Chapters 2, 3, 4.