Sociolinguistics
The plural you
Tweet (I have been in California visiting my son and his family, including a three-year-old and a five-year-old — I’m sure that many of you will understand why I haven’t been posting for the past few days. They are a constant delight, and profoundly exhausting.) There have been several recent discussions about the lack of […]
Standard Language
Tweet One purpose of standard language is the creation of a level playing field. It is the place where people get together who speak in vernaculars, with accents, and in specialized language. An author from India may have won a prestigious prize, and sold millions of books, but if she speaks English the way she […]
Grammar and Syntax (part one)
Tweet This is one of a perhaps infinite number of posts differentiating grammar from syntax. Our understanding of the two words is evolving. Grammar is a floppy term endowed with many meanings, depending on who is speaking, and in what context. It is the broader of the two terms, grammar and syntax. Grammar has traditionally […]
Talking to Grandma
Tweet We use different language forms when speaking with different people, or in different groups. You don’t usually ask Grandma, “Yo, whassup?” Over the Thanksgiving holiday, various family members might watch a football game, get together over dinner, and go to church. While watching the football game, the decibel level is likely to spike […]