Topic > Review of dialectization

The language of a community is usually united but embodies the characteristic of diversity. The differences can be witnessed by the way vocabulary is used, grammar is used and words are pronounced. As of 2017, it is estimated that there are more than 7,000 living languages ​​in the world, and along with this number, more than ten thousand dialects are already spoken (Simons & Fennig, 2017). In this essay the question of how the dialectization of the language occurs will be answered. Furthermore, this essay digs deep to see whether regional dialects have a positive or negative impact on national standard language skills. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayWhat is dialect? According to the Oxford Dictionary, dialect is explained as “A particular form of language that is peculiar to a specific region or social group”. (n.d.). Strictly speaking, the term “dialect” refers to differences between types of language that are differences in lexicon (vocabulary), grammar (structure), and phonology (pronunciation or accent) (Petyt, 1980; Variations in English, n.d.). For example, in South America, when people want to buy a carbonated drink, they would use the generic term “coke” while people in the North and Northwest would order a “pop”; Interestingly, in California and the Northeast area, people prefer the term “soda.” Dialects are different forms of the same language. In other words, a language is a group of dialects. The English language itself has over one hundred variations around the world, such as Yorkshire, Bermuda English or Maori English, which can often be difficult for speakers of other dialects of English to interpret. The act of using a language implies the use of one of its dialects, so everyone speaks at least one dialect. So how do dialects narrow down to the regional scope? To explain this, let's consider the “wave theory” introduced by Johannes Schmidt in 1872. When pebbles are thrown into a pond, they create waves on the surface. Waves can start at various points (depends on where the pebbles are thrown) with different strength (depends on the size of the pebbles); the further the waves spread, the weaker they are. The result is that different areas of the pond are affected by a different combination of waves. The process of spreading linguistic changes is similar to the way waves spread. Language inventions and modifications do not occur at the same pace and in the same way in different geographical areas. A community, therefore, ends up being influenced by dialects with varying degrees of similarity. Linguistically, dialectization is a part of the very natural process: language change. According to Petyt, time and distance are the two fundamental factors that influence dialectization (1980). To clarify the impact of the time factor, he stated that “language is transmitted from one generation to the next and over time various innovations creep in”. The possibility is that young inheritors may inaccurately understand the original language system and eliminate antiquated models. At the same time, linguistic changes such as new words, ease of articulation are invented here and there, although some are quickly rejected for different reasons, others will be adopted and gradually extend their impact throughout the region. A secondary component that contributes to the dialectization process is distance: some linguistic changes have not been able to spread throughout the entire community due to geographic boundaries. When people move away from each other, new experiences are created, old ones might.