Dialect continuum

Spoken Language In society the way in which we communicate depends on the context or situation we are in, for example if we are at home or in a workplace. Nowadays, social media or the vast development of technology has affected the way we speak to each other because instead of using received pronunciation, like the Queen, we use slang if we are with are friends; expressing informal features, like taboo language in order to fit in and feel closer or Standard English if we are talking to a…

Novelist and poet, James Baldwin, expresses himself on a hearty topic in his essay, “If Black Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” Through carefully-structured wording and literary devices such as allusion, James Baldwin depicts the intricacy of languages and the significance of the black language in America. Written in 1979, Baldwin enlightens the readers on the desperate need for man to be able to vocalize his thoughts through language, the importance of a specific language in America,…

African Language used by enslaved persons brought to the Americas over 400 years ago. Enslaved people were denied a formal education, but were required to learn the language to communicate with white master, hence the BEV dialect was fashioned. In today’s society, this dialect has greatly influenced different sectors of the English language, from slang to highly respected fables such as the Uncle Remus Tales and Huckleberry Finn. Standard English is the version of English used by Americans,…

day attribute. Having the understanding of different dialects of English such as American English, Canadian English and Australian English is a very impressive skill, it allows people from different societies to be able to interact in a way that they feel comfortable with each other. Although the English language has been firm, the recent emerges of different societies has resulted in the English language to break down into different dialects to enable better communication and understanding.…

Popular recording artist, Rihanna, recently dropped a new single titled “Work.” In the song, she incorporates many words from a dialect called Jamaican Patois, an example being her singing “you said me haffi work.” People rushed to Social Media to complain that the song was annoying because she was speaking gibberish, not knowing that “haffi” is an actual word in a different culture. In the article “Do You Speak American?” by Robert MacNeil a similar issue is brought forward to a broad audience…

Throughout any language, there are various dialects which follow a set of rules and could be considered a standard for that language. However, not all dialects are viewed equally and many are judged based on the idea of a dominate dialect of a language (Goldstein & Iglesias, 2001). This way of thinking has caused discrepancies when evaluating children with dialects for phonological disorders. Differences in dialects can and have been incorrectly interpreted as a phonological disorder when not…

Early stages In the early stages of a child’s development, language is developed socially within the child’s familial context. Through this social process, the child’s native language is developed which is unique to their cultural heritage (McDevitt, Ormrod, Cupit, Chandler & Aloa, 2013, pg. 344). To elaborate on the social influences, children learn not only their cultural language and communication form, but they also learn how to communicate by the example set within their social context (Gee…

Once, a well-known British novelist stated, “We read to know that we are not alone.” I believe that statement is true because reading allows people to escape the world and enter another where life is more exciting than their own. My family crowns me as the bookworm of the family because of my obsession with books whether it be a novel or a biography. And with that embedded in mind, the fact that I sincerely abhorred reading a few years ago probably dumbfounds everyone. Yes, I can pin it on my…

no longer needed. The earthen oven is replaced by a newer electric model. These changes from an extended to nuclear family set-up are visible through the representation of home in the novels.The two sisters, Khuku and Mimi converse in East Bengali dialect. The old middle class culture is changing and having the elements of the new middle-class culture and family life. There is a strong sense of stability and continuity of domestic life that anchors home against external changes taking place in…

In the story “Mother Tongue”, Amy Tan tries to distinguish the difference between two different cultures as a child. She is raised by her mother who speaks “broken” English, and the outside world where perfect English is spoken. Amy had a hard time as a child because of the different Englishes that were spoken. Tan as an adult continues to find the difference between the languages that are spoken, even though she knows that the one spoken by her mother will never improve. Tan’s attitude towards…