1. Language or Dialect: Language and its use can be confusing for many. For those who share a nationality but speak different varieties, it can lead to a sense of not belonging or of linguistic oppression. Those who speak a certain code are adhering to their vernacular, or language one grows up with and uses ordinarily (Blackwell, 24). The debate as to what is considered a true language or dialect is an ongoing one. There remain claims that a dialect is simply a norm within a language or that it constitutes a variety of said language. Further, dialect is used to constitute a form that is seen as either non or sub standard (Blackwell, 25). The debate becomes even more complicated when looking at autonomous bodies. For example, the Chinese adhere to the fact that they speak Chinese regardless of whether they speak Mandarin or Cantonese (Blackwell, 29). However, individuals who speak one but not the other would find themselves to be mutually unintelligible. This raises questions of what actually constitutes a language over a dialect.
2. Standardization: The first of seven criteria compiled by Bell, Standardization refers to the process by which a language has been codified in some way. That process usually involves the development of such things as grammars, spelling books, and dictionaries, and possibly a literature (Wardhaugh, 31). It is often applied to language in hopes to make teaching/learning less difficult to unify groups or individuals within a community, and even can be pushed forward within political context so as to make developing relations and the like more proficient. Vitality being the second listed refers to the existence of a living community of speakers (Wardhaug 36). Although it is often thought that a language will die with it’s people, there are often cases where a language still exists within a written form that could be learned and used as an alternative to someone’s first language. Historicity refers to the fact that a particular group of people finds a sense of identity through using a particular language: it belongs to them (Wardhaug 37). Language is often considered to be one of the strongest ties between those in a community. Autonomy is an element of language based solely on the feeling. Some of those who speak certain dialects believe that they are no different from others, while some believe that some languages, i.e. Cantonese and Mandarin, are actually just two dialects within one larger language family. Reduction refers to the fact that a particular variety may be regarded as a sub-variety rather than as an independent entity (Wardhaug 37). Mixture has to do with the views of speakers on the “purity” of the language they use. This often brings about considerations of elements that could be considered lesser or improper which can skew the identity they find from within speech throughout their lives. Finally, de facto norms refer to the feeling that many speakers have that there are both ‘good’ speakers and ‘poor’ speakers and that the good speakers represent the norms of proper usage (Wardhaug 38). These standards must not only be establish, they also need to be observed, which often means that one sub-variety is determined to be the “better” option. Many people consider that preferences are usually to blame for the ideology of what is proper or most appropriate in particular settings or contexts. Language can be difficult to define but with these criterion in mind there are many things to ease the process.
3. Styles, Registers & Beliefs: Studying dialects is a difficult task due to the wide range of styles of speakers, making it a debate of whether it is in fact a dialect, or simply a style of the individual speaker. The level of formality in speech can depend on several factors, including the kind of occasion, the age or social differences among individuals, the task involved, or the emotional involvement between two or more participants. Another complicating factor in the study of language are registers, sets of language items associated with discrete occupational or social groups (Wardhaugh, 48). Registers can thus be somewhat related to jargons, and allow someone to express him or her identity at a specific time and place (Wardhaugh, 48). Many people hold strong beliefs about “’issues’” concerning language that attempt to “’clean up’” the various pieces if it (Wardhaugh, 50). However, linguists avoid the involvement in such topics because they know how difficult it is to change or affect language. Linguists rely on certain linguistic features (styles, registers) and the consistency of those features to determine someone’s speech to a certain place, social status, profession, etc.
4. Social Dialects: Apart from being geographically based, dialects may be used to detect differences in speech that are associated with certain social classes. Various factors, such as occupation, cultural background, place of residence, and education, can be used to determine social class. These factors have a correlation to the way we speak. In India, for example, the caste system is the biggest social differentiator and determines the variety of language that will be used (Wardhaugh, 46). It is also possible to speak different variations of one language and use them in relation to the context, for example at home or inter-group variations. Ethnic variation in the US is due to the great range of differences in speech of different groups of people in cities, which are more difficult to pin down linguistically.
5. Regional Dialects: The easiest way to observe variety in language is by regional variation. When one travels through a certain region, they pick up the different dialects that my be mutually unintelligible. There may be one region that speaks the same language, but depending on the location the pronunciation, choice of words and syntax will be different. A dialect-patois occurs when the "standard" language takes over and local languages although they are spoken extensively throughout the region, become disfavored socially and politically (Wardhaugh, 41). According to Petyt patois only exist in the lower strata of society. A dialect has a wider geographical distribution. With such distribution a dialect geography is then used to map the linguistic features in various places to show their geographical provenance (Wardhaugh, 43). With dialect geography a dialect boundary can then be formed; speakers on one side of that boundary may speak a different dialect than those on the other side. Finally, many times dialect is confused with accent, the way things are pronounced. For example, Standard English is spoken by many around the nation, but the way they pronounce the words is different. One English accent is known as Received Pronunciation,(RP), and is used by those in the better parts of society of England (Wardhaugh, 44). Other languages don't have an RP, for educated regional varieties are preferred rather than and upper-class accent.
