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Language Variation

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Language Variation

The concept of language variation is central in sociolinguistics. The English language


varies on individual, regional, national and global levels. Unfortunately, some people are
unaware of various social and regional dialects, and different varieties of English in the
world. Understanding variation within a language is important for every member of our
community, and especially for those who receive a college education. Sociolinguistics
investigates all these language variations.
Different factors affect how a language is spoken within a country. They can be regional
(geographical), ethnic (national and racial), and social (class, age, gender, socioeconomic
status and education). All these factors are interconnected. They are reflected in every
language variety’s pronunciation, vocabulary, grammatical constructions and syntax.
One of the common misunderstandings of speakers of any language is the question of
standard and non-standard varieties of the language. The latter is often called a dialect, and
people who speak it are considered to be inferior to the speakers of the standard variety.
It is erroneous to believe that the standard variety is the ‘correct’ one. Every language has
dialects, and no dialect is substandard to other dialects. We all speak a dialect and we all
have an accent.
All varieties of a language are systematic in their use, have a large number of speakers and
thus have their right for existence. The term dialect refers to any variety of a language, and
from the point of view of sociolinguistics, all dialects are equally correct, systematic,
logical, and meaningful.
The issue of standard vs. non-standard variety of a language is not a linguistic one, but
political. The standard dialect is associated with prestige in the society. That is why many
people prefer it to other varieties. Some people feel pressured to use the standard dialect to
conform to the rules of the society. However, some speakers of a non-standard dialect
prefer to use it to demonstrate their sense of belonging to their community or social/ethnic
group.
Besides all these variations, there are individual variations of language use that are called
idiolects. We all have unique ways of speaking that reflect our personal identities. Through
our linguistic choices we have an opportunity to express who we are and where we are
from. Our language changes over time as it gets into contact with various idiolects of
people who we interact with. It changes with our life experiences. There are no two
speakers who speak exactly the same way.
However, people are often unaware of their own dialects/accents, and sometimes they
negatively judge those whose ways of speaking differ from their own. Often, people who
speak non-standard dialects are erroneously marked as being uneducated, not knowing
English or having a speech pathology. This can lead to discrimination in professional and
educational settings, and irreversible personal tragedies.
These kinds of linguistic misperceptions are among the reasons why sociolinguistics is
important to everyone in our society. People need to know more about how dialects work
to avoid language prejudice.
The English language varies not only on individual and national levels but also even more
on the global level. It is becoming the language of international communication and is
acquiring the status of a global language. English is a major language because Great
Britain and the United States have been powerful militarily, politically, and economically
for the past two centuries. Crystal (2003, p. 59) observed that English received its world
status due to “the expansion of British colonial power […] and the emergence of the
United States as the leading economic power of the twentieth century”. It is used
worldwide in such areas as business, science, aviation, music, sport, and now the Internet.
In spite of its popularity in the world, we need to remember that English is not superior to
other languages, and the use of other languages should be respected.
Standard American and standard British English are just two of many varieties of the
language. Many other varieties of English (so called Englishes) can be found in countries
across the world, as well as within each country where it is widely spoken.
Different varieties of English are used throughout the world. Kachru (1985) identified
three concentric circles:
(1) the Inner Circle, which includes countries where English is used as a primary language,
such as the U.S. and Canada;
(2) the Outer Circle, which consists of countries where English is used as a second or
official language, such as India or Singapore; and
(3) the Expanding Circle, which refers to countries where English is studied as a foreign
language, such as Russia or China.
According to Crystal (2003), non-native speakers of English outnumber native speakers of
English. Therefore, it is important to understand that no variety is superior over another
variety, and develop an increased tolerance for all varieties of English.
The study of sociolinguistics can build people’s awareness of different varieties of English
and help us become more respectful to all other languages and their dialects.

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