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Enlgish Language


            
             In order to understand how language variation descriptors are used, we first must understand what language .
             variation is. We can say that the U.S. is linguistically diverse because of the multitude of languages spoken here, .
             but we can also find diversity within these languages. All languages have both dialectical variations and registral .
             variations. These variations, or dialects, can differ in lexicon, phonology, and/or syntax from the Standard .
             Language that we often think of as correct Language, although they are not necessarily less proper than, say, .
             Standard English. It depends on where, by whom, and in what situation the dialect is used as to whether or not it .
             is appropriate.
             Most people are familiar with regional dialects, such as Boston, Brooklyn, or Southern. These types of .
             variations usually occur because of immigration and settlement patterns. People tend to seek out others like .
             themselves. Regional variations tend to become more pronounced as the speech community is more isolated by .
             physical geography, i.e. mountain ranges, rivers. Linguists have done extensive studies on regional dialects, .
             producing detailed Linguistic Atlases. Many linguists can tell where a person is from just by knowing whether a .
             person carries groceries home from the supermarket in a paper bag or from the grocery store in a paper sack (Yule .
             184). And the person who comes home from the supermarket with a paper sack serves to remind us that .
             language variation is not a discrete, but rather a continuous variable. Characteristics of the dialect are more .
             pronounced in the center of the speech community and tend to be less discernible at the outer boundaries, where .
             they often overlap other regional dialects.
             Within, and between, these regional variations we find the social dialects. The primary social factors that .
             influence dialects are class, education, occupation, ethnicity, sex, and age (Ferguson 52, Yule 191).
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            


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