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Language and dialects

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  • What is the study of regional differences in language called?
    Dialectology
  • Political power can turn a dialect into a recognized language
  • In the Netherlands, which regional variety is recognized as a distinct language?
    Frisian
  • What does the study of dialects help us understand about society?
    How language variation reflects identity, culture, and social divisions
  • What two main principles underlie social accounts of dialect variation?
    (1) All languages change over time, and (2) people who communicate tend to speak similarly
  • What is the effect of geographical isolation on language?
    It produces distinct dialects and reinforces social differences
  • What did the Gileadites use to identify their enemies in the Bible story?
    The pronunciation of the word shibboleth
  • What term describes gradual differences between neighboring dialects across a region?
    A dialect continuum
  • What causes dialects to change and become distinct?
    Geographical or social isolation
  • What is one humorous or prejudicial example mentioned in the text?
    A southern accent being laughed at in Tunisia or the USA
  • What did William Caxton complain about in early printed English?
    Differences between northern and southern English forms
  • What happens to dialects as isolation breaks down due to roads, radio, and television?
    Dialectal variation diminishes, and languages become more homogenized
  • What caused Serbo-Croatian to split into Serbian and Croatian?
    Political separation and ethnic differences
  • What does the term “dialect” usually refer to?
    A regional or social variety of a language
  • Who do dialectologists usually interview for their research?
    Older people who have lived all their lives in one place
  • What is a well-known example of different words for the same thing in the USA?
    “Bag” vs. “sack” or “groundnuts” vs. “peanuts”
  • Who were the earliest scholars to study dialectal variation?
    Philologists
  • What is the main focus of dialectology?
    Spatially and geographically determined differences in language
  • What is the main factor that decides whether a variety is called a “language” or “dialect”?
    Social and political reasons rather than linguistic ones
  • What leads to modifications in phonology according to the text?
    Contact with other languages and “phonetic drift”
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