Appetizer
10 key terms
Dialect
A regional variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation.
Example: you guys, you all, and y'all.
Example: in British-English, they have a "u" in words the American English do not, for example: favourite, colour
Isogloss
A boundary that separates regions in which different language usages predominate.
Example: the British-English word "duff" also means "trash" in American-English
Language
A system of communication through the use of speech a collection of sounds understood by a group of people to have the same meaning.
Example: English, German, French, Dutch
Ideograms
The system of writing used in China and other East Asian countries in which each symbol represents an idea or a concept rather than a specific sound, as is the case with letters in English.
Example: any Chinese symbol.
Official Language
The language adopted for use by the government for the conduct of business and publication of documents.
Example: French for France.
Ebonics
Dialect spoken by African Americans.
Example: the English word "Past" is pronounced "Pass".
Standard Language
The form of a language used for official government business, education, and mass communications.
Example: Standard English, very grammatically correct.
Spanglish
Combination of Spanish and Enlgish, spoken by Hispanic Americans.
Example: "¿estas ready?" (Are you ready?)
Literary Tradition
A language that is written as well as spoken.
Example: German
Language Family
A collection of langugaes related to each other through a common ancestor long before recorded history.
Example: Indo-European