Languages Varieties By Isabel Rosario
Concept Definition Explanation Example
The way in which people in a Refers to differences in pronunciation. It is An example of an accent is the
particular area, country, or a feature of speech that can be influenced Australian English accent.
Accent social group pronounce by factors such as region, social class, or
words. ethnicity.
A form of a language that It is used to describe a way of speaking An example of a dialect is the
people speak in a particular that differs from the standard variety of Ozark dialect, which is a regional
part of a country, containing the language characterized by its own variety of English spoken in the
Dialect some different words and phonological, syntactic, and lexical Ozark Mountains region of the
grammar properties. United States.
The form of a language that It is a variety of language used by a An example of a sociolect is
people in a particular social socioeconomic class, a profession, an age Jamaican Patois, which is an
group speak. group, or any other social group. English vernacular influenced by
Sociolect Sociolects are influenced by social factors the ethnic groups who speak it in
and can vary among different social Jamaica.
groups.
The form of a language that a It represents the specific knowledge of An example of an idiolect is the
particular person speaks language and grammar that exists in the way an individual might use
mind of an individual language user. language after spending a year
Idiolect working abroad in Germany. This
experience could significantly
influence their idiolect in several
way.
A variety of language used for The way a speaker uses language An example of a register is the
a specific purpose or in a differently in different circumstances, use of formal language in a
Register particular communicative determined by factors such as social professional setting, such as
situation occasion, context, purpose, and audience. writing a business letter.
A very informal language that A type of language consisting of words and An example of modern slang is
is usually spoken rather than phrases that are informal and are often the term "lit," which is used to
written, used especially by used in specific contexts or communities. describe something that is really
particular groups of people. Slang can include words that are new, that good or exciting.
Slang have a different meaning in a particular
context, or words that are used in a playful
or humorous way.
References
Cambridge Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus. (n.d.). https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/
Edmf. (2022, April 8). Accent vs. dialect, sociolect, idiolect, slang. EDMF Translations. https://edmf.com/en/accent-vs-dialect-sociolect-idiolect-
slang/
Register (sociolinguistics). DBpedia. (n.d.). https://dbpedia.org/page/Register_(sociolinguistics)
Scribd. (n.d.). Basic terms: Variety, dialect, sociolect, idiolect, register, jargon and slang. Scribd. https://es.scribd.com/document/513299061/Week-
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