The Diversity of Language: From Standard to Slang
1. Language and Linguistic Diversity
Language equals power. Humans, through words, communicate. This is what sets us apart from other species.
Linguistic Family, Language, and Dialect
All languages descend from other languages. Modern languages proceed from older ones, and these older languages have affinities that form linguistic families. For example, Spanish, Latin, French, and Italian are related.
Tongue
A system of verbal signs used to communicate and express oneself within a community of speakers. It is characterized by having stable norms that originate among its users and are disseminated through personal interaction and education.
Dialect
A language variant with precise regional limits. The term “dialect” has no pejorative connotations and does not imply a hierarchy.
2. Variety in Europe
- Indo-European: Welsh, Irish, Gaelic
- Germanic: English, German
- Slavic: Polish, Russian
- Romance: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian, Catalan, Galician, Sardinian, Provençal
Multilingualism, Bilingualism, Diglossia
- Countries with more than one language are considered multilingual.
- Bilingualism (balanced): Two languages with the same cultural, economic, and social importance.
- Diglossia: One language is more important than the other (international organizations promote balanced bilingualism).
3. Spain’s Linguistic Reality
The Spanish Constitution recognizes four official languages: Castilian, Catalan, Galician, and Basque. Dialects are variations within these languages. Murcian, Canarian, and Castilian are dialects of Spanish, with Valencian being closely related to Catalan. Asturian or Bable, along with historical dialects like Aragonese, also exist.
Origin and Dialects of Spanish Languages
The origin of the Spanish language is rooted in Roman Latin, which was prevalent in the Iberian Peninsula until the arrival of the Arabs in the 8th century. The Reconquista did not result in a unified linguistic landscape. Instead, distinct kingdoms emerged where Latin had evolved differently, leading to the formation of various dialects.
4. Vulgar Language
Vulgar language is characterized by its deviation from standard norms due to carelessness or ignorance. These deviations are called slang.
Characteristics of Slang
Phonic Level
- Accentuation shifts (e.g., EXpert – exPERT)
- Vowel changes (e.g., Sigune – depending)
- Diphthong reduction (e.g., sales)
- Sound suppression (e.g., lost – los’)
- Consonant confusion (e.g., Aguelo – grandfather)
- Development of ‘b’ before ‘ue’ (e.g., gues)
- Consonant shifting (e.g., cocreta)
Morphosyntactic Level
- Changes in verb forms (e.g., cantastes)
- Incorrect verb usage
- Using determiners with names (e.g., my Pepe)
- Changing the gender of determiners (e.g., “d” this water)
- Laismo, Loísmo, Leismo (incorrect pronoun usage)
- Pronoun order alteration (e.g., you have)
- Dequeismo (overuse of “that”)
- Preposition and conjunction misuse
- Word conflation (e.g., see pa’ca)
Lexical Level
– Arcanizantes verb forms (semos)
– Jobs particles or archaic (cuantimas)
– Confusion about the meaning of particles
1 – Variety of language use
l k factors act on language:
• tiendn to his unit about the DUCATION cmo ls ls librs
meds d pers. this gives a mdel d lugger language
CMUN or standard.
• others put d d mnifiest uses diversity
podems grouped as follows:
Variedads Historics: castllano EVOLUT dl through time
Var space: according to dialects and difernts area ablas ai
Social Var: dntro d the region causes such as MSMA
varying degrees d age sex instruction habitat etc.
mansard roof to provide vertical or dialects diferents sociolects
cda prsona has its idiolect or language usr frma d
Var record: regstro = mdo d usr l language na
determnada situation. ablnte l l receptr shall choose
rgstro a function of one determndas CIRCUMSTANCES:
– Rlacion mong different receptr.es emsor and ablar
k alguin work with a family.
– Social and spatial context. different in ambito
k working in areas of leisure
– Canal written empleado.dferente k ablate
– Track and intention. different exposure cientific
that political rally
2 – The standard and diversity of standards
mong differs uses incorrects corrects and uses language the well dl ablr the NRMA is rlciona cn cnjunt d k is the employee uses x ls cults. ks lngua ajust the standard wing is called standard language.
Standard Features:
• Fixed ls uses and contributes to unit corrects language dl
• THROUGH diffuses media schools
communication and cultural institutions
• ai no single standard
“‘s webcam cults has its norm. Seseo or yeismo tmbn
-palabrs or Xpresion determnads (termins tecnics)
• comunict situation det + or – respect for the NRMA
• provision provides: populr vulgar rustic place …
3 – the educated class and the colloquial abla
? abla cultured educated people / abla place ? normlmente
* Sheet part
4 – on the other side of the chop
? the ultracorreccion
k ls avecs are passed ablntes ready make mistakes
cultured expressions trying to imitate what generates errors k
x ultracorreccion (autonomasia-par excellence)
5 – The taboos of language
ablantes reject the use of certain words
called tabu words and changed by other
socialmete calls accepted euphemisms
examples: (go to Servidio, sit on the throne)
(death, the lady in black)