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Idiolect = s!eech !atterns a$stracted from utterances of individual s!eaers

o I = the totalit# of utterances used (activel# and !assivel# $# an individual

(avl-: 0

9ote: there are as man# idiolects as there are s!eaers of language

!ialect = a class of idiolectssharing certain linguistic features "hich differentiate it

from other classes of idiolects

o + set of varieties of l."hich share at least one feature or their com$ination

"hich set it a!art from other varieties

o dialects of a languageare mutuall# intelligiblevarieties that differ in

systematic way

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ro$lems:

&. mutuall# intercom!rehensi$le varieties, #et different languages:

a/Danish, Norwegian, Swedish$/Hindi, Urdu= mutuall# intercom!rehensi$le languages

c/3Dech and Slova:

$ut cf. 3ocne# vs. HDar mountain +6 mutuall# unintelligi$ile, #et the same

language

2.

dialect continuum+chain one variet# graduall# changes into another variet#:

a/West Romance dialect continuum: Ital# 5 1rance 5 S!ain 5ortugal

$/ 9orth to South: orfolk .uffolk

c/ West-Germanic dialect continuum: Belgium (1lemish 5 the 9etherlands (Jutch 5

;erman# (;erman 5 +ustria 5 S"itDerlandK

B/existence of political boundaries:

languages are s!oen in different !olitical entities

But cf. Cantonese andMandarin7 mutuall# unintelligi$le, $ut s!oen "ithin a single

countr#, hence dialectsof 3hinese

3. .tandardi/ation

languages are often associated "ith standardiDation

= selection and !romotion of a variet# $# an authoritative social institutions (institute, school,

media,Acadmie ran!aise and giving it a higher 0 overt1 social prestige s!ecific social

functions

cf overt prestige vs covert prestige

standard "ariety "ernacular "ariety

ascri$ed to standardiDed variet# !ositive att.to"ards non7standard varietiesconsidered the $est ugl#, im!ro!er

admired as a model sho" friendshi!, solidarit#, ethnicit#,

machoism

.tandard language(=spiso"n# $azy% is a result of deliberate language planning,

not of natural evolution (cf. interdialect

o = a dialect "ith a highest social !restige

o = a dialect "ith an arm# and nav# (M.Neinreich

o = a superposed variety:

used $# educated !eo!le, in s!eech $ut es!. in "riting

over a "ide area, in a "ide range of situations

3f. dialects are restricted to home informal situations

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9ote: