What is Language Variation?

Spoken Language and Identity

In this course, Dr Rob Drummond (Manchester Metropolitan University) explores the relationship between spoken language and identity – how we speak and who we are. In the first module, we think about language variation itself, focusing in particular on the difference between accent and dialect, the different levels at which dialects can be different, and the fact that everybody has an accent. In the second module, we explore the history of the English language to consider why it is that there are so many regional accents in Britain today, before turning in the third module to explore some of the social factors that contribute to differences in spoken language. In the fourth module, we think about the concept of indexicality, the means by which certain features of spoken language acquire social meaning, before turning in the fifth module to consider style switching, i.e. changing the way we speak to suit the context.

What is Language Variation?

In this module, we explore language variation, focusing in particular on: (i) the variation in language between different groups, between different individuals, and by the same individual in different contexts; (ii) the difference between accent and dialect; (iii) the levels of variation in dialect: syntax, lexis and phonology; (iv) the particular sounds that tend to change between different accents; and – most importantly – (v) the fact that everybody has an accent.