Speech is viewed as a form of social identity. It plays a vital role in sociolinguistics. People belonging to the same speech community share the common characteristics of a language such as pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and manner of speaking. This essay explores the speech community- Rayalaseema Telugu. Telugu is a Dravidian language and Rayalaseema Telugu is a dialect that is spoken in the southwestern part of Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseeema region. This dialect is characterized as unsophisticated and informal. It is bilingual as it shares many lexical terms with the neighboring state language Kannada.
The central costal Andhra dialect is perceived as the standard dialect. The striking difference in the standard dialect of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema dialect is the discourse style. The speech community of Rayalaseema dialect is more casual conversation like whereas the coastal Andhra dialect is formal in nature. Since there is an assimilation of Sanskrit words into Telugu, coastal Andhra dialect attempts to pronounce them in a more Sanskrit manner than the Ray...
While some features of AAVE are apparently unique to this variety, in its structure it also shows many similarities with other varieties including a number of standard and nonstandard English varieties spoken in the US and the Caribbean. Speakers and writers of this dialect use some distinctive aspects of the phonological, lexical, and grammatical traits associated with this dialect. Many sociolinguists would reserve the term AAVE for varieties which are marked by the occurrence of certain distinctive grammatical features.
This chapter focused mainly on misconceptions and attempting to clarify those misconceptions about accents. In the opinion of linguists, accent is a difficult word to define. This is due to the fact that language has variation therefore when it comes to a person having an accent or not, there is no true technical distinction because every person has different phonological aspects to their way of speaking. However, when forced to define this word, it is described as “a way of speaking” (Lippi-Green, 2012, p.44). Although Lippi- Green identified the difficulty linguists have in distinguishing between accent, dialect, and another language entirely, they were able to construct a loose way of distinguishing. Lippi- Green states that an accent can be determined by difference in phonological features alone, dialect can be determined by difference in syntax, lexicon, and semantics alone, and when all of these aspects are different from the original language it is considered another language entirely (Lippi-Green, 2012).
It is interesting for Lisa Kanae to use three different voices in her book, Sista Tongue. The structure of Sista Tongue is different from standard books as if to make her words flow and become active. Her message still holds truth in today’s society. In many homes, younger generations face the inadequacy of being unable to understand their mother tongues while their parents struggle with learning English. Code-switching is natural for bilingual people and those that speak to other sub-cultures. Lisa Kanae’s different voices are similar to
It is often misunderstood that people cannot communicate effectively without the use of spoken language. Silence can be interpreted to mean many things depending the culture. More often than not prolonged silence is attributed to aloofness, rudeness, or defectiveness as we see with the Apache. People who utilize sign language and are incapable of spoken language are also seen differently. In this article review we will look at Culture, and Society: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology (Pg. 73-86 Salzmann 2012) and “To Give Up on Words” Silence in Western Apache Culture (Pg. 559-567 Basso 1970).
Subramani, R. (2010, February). Insight through Body Language and Non-verbal Communication References In Tirukkural. Language in India , 10 (2), pp. 261-271.
There are two forms of languages; public and private. The "private" language only spoken with family and close intimate relationships. The "public" language used in society, work, and school. Both of these help form two identities, that help us connect and communicate with one another. In the essay “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan and also in the article “Speech Communities” by Paul Roberts ,we will see how both private and public language demonstrate how we view, and grow from each language.
Wright, Katy M. “The Role of Dialect Representation in Speaking from the Margins: “The Lesson” of Toni Cade Bambara.” Style. 42.1 (2008): 73-87. Proquest. SEMO Kent Lib., Cape Girardeau, MO. 12 April 2009. .
Not all individuals who speak a specific language communicate that language in the exact same way. A language may be divided into several diverse dialects. Three things are required for a brand new tongue to evolve: the passage of time, a collection of individuals that live near each other, and the segregation of this group from other groups.
Those dialects are affected by the communities that use them. People add slang or shorten words to make the language their own. This has an immense impact on how authors write. Some authors will attempt to use proper English, but often times will use words common to their community. In “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara (DiYanni, 2007, pp. 1).
Another difficulty cultures deal with is language and the way people speak. In some cases, people struggle to belong by making changes in the way they speak the English language just to be assimilated. They attempt to use words and letters, as well as body language that fit in the norm; all in an attempt to denounce their original intonation and style of pronunciation. One ...
I. Singlish is the combination of many languages put together. Such languages include, the Queen’s English, Malay, Cantonese, Tamil, Mandarin, and Hokkien. Singlish has a very unique twist that can only be recognized if a person visited to Singapore before. Unlike the English that is spoken in America or Britain, Singlish contains a vocabulary from a wide variety of languages. Although it is the most common form of communication, it is not spoken in formal situations or when any speaker adresses an elder. Singlish is very unique due to its diverse history, its distinct grammar and vocabulary, and its essential role in culture and traditions.
‘Mother Tongue’ a story by Amy Tan tries to take us through the different events one should change the manner in which he or she uses language with the listeners. As the speaker, one should use the appropriate language for the right audience so as to avoid circumstances in which language barrier can occur. The language which Tan uses with her mother is quite different from the one she uses with her listeners when engaging in public or official talks. It is quite evident that when Tan was confronting the stock broker who wanted to con her mother she changes her diction which matched a sophisticated language from the one her mother used. Language becomes hectic when one is trying to fit in a language he or she can hardly talk (Diyanni 633-639).
Language is a means of human communication whether verbally or nonverbally. In everyday life we use language to express our thoughts, feelings ,attitudes,etc.A great amount of social interactions takes place every day over the telephone ,by online chats, face –to face interaction or at workplaces .We use language of different forms for different functions as in to inform, question , and sometimes to strengthen social relationships or just to keep the social wheels turning smoothly. Moreover, understanding one's own language and even other cultures’ language is important to arrive at a successful and effective communication with others . The study of language can be undertaken in various ways .Semantics and pragmatics are two branches of linguistics which are concerned with the study of meaning.
The book An Intorduction of Sociolinguistics is an outstanding introductary book in the field of sociolinguistics. It encompasses a wide range of language issues. In chapter 13, Wardhaugh provides a good insight to the relationship between language and gender. He explains gender differences of language-in-use with concise examples. Wardhaugh riases questions about sexist language and guides readers to look closer at how people use language differently because of their own gender in daily life. According to the Whorfian hypothesis, which indicates that the way people use language reflects their thoughts, different genders adapt different communication strategies.
Singh, G., & Kumari, D., 2011 History Revisited in Oral History by Nadine Gordimer, Language in India, February, Vol. 11 Issue 2, p 296-303, 8 p.