8. SOCIOLINGUISTIC VARIETIES
From diaLECT we now talk about sociolect and other “-lects”.
Written and Spoken Language
Written texts
Factual reports, technical
papers, newspapers, all
genres of literature etc.
Hybrid varieties
Written-to-be-spoken texts
(drama scripts, formal
speeches, lectures,
sermons).
Complete, uninterrupted
sentences, often with
Online chat (often with
“hypotaxis” (main and
smilies and emoticons)
subordinate clauses), low
frequency lexis, complex
noun phrases with strings
of premodifiers, and no
errors. Writers have time to
compose, correct and
revise their texts.
Punctuation informs the
reader as to how some
things are to interpreted.
Spoken texts
From formal debates to
lessons to free natural
conversations.
Simpler, shorter, often
single-clause sentences.
Interrupted sentences,
false starts and minor
errors that are normally left
uncorrected. More high
frequency lexis and
idiomatic expressions.
Speakers have little time to
prepare. Some meaning is
conveyed by tone, volume,
gestures, facial expressions
and body language.
Sociolinguistic differences between national groups.
American English: elevator
British English: lift
program tomato /təˈmeɪtəʊ/
programme tomato /təˈmɑ:təʊ/
Swear words have different weight in different language communities. In
Australia calling someone a bastard could be a sign of friendliness. In
Britain bastard is still an insult but it has lost a lot of the power to offend
that it used to have. In the English of the Indian subcontinent it is a
dangerous word to use.
In a cricket match between England and Pakistan in Faisalabad in 1987,
the England captain called the Pakistani umpire (referee), Shakoor Rana,
a bastard. The umpire suspended the match and told journalists, “Calling
me a bastard may be excusable in England, but here people murder
someone who calls another man a bastard.” The next day Mike Gatting,
the England captain, had to issue a written apology so that the match
could restart.
Sociolinguistic differences within nations: regional dialects and accents
Can you understand the Neapolitan dialect of Massimo Troisi? What Italian
dialects do you find particularly difficult?
How many dialects of the Sardinian language are there?
Do you have dialects in Poland and Hungary?
Irvine Welsh’s novel Trainspotting is written in the dialect of young drug
users in Edinburgh. When it was made into a film, subtitles were used
because most of the British population couldn’t understand the dialogue.
Many novelists write in dialect. What is the translator meant to do? On the
next slide there is some dialogue between two brothers from Barry Hines’s
novel Kes (1968). It is in the dialect of Yorkshire, in the north of England.
“Alarm’s gone off tha knows.”
“Think I don’t know?”
He pulled the blankets tighter and drilled his head into the pillow. They both lay still.
“Jud?”
“What?”
“Tha’ll be late.”
“O, shut it.”
“Clocks not fast tha knows.”
“I said SHUT IT.”
He swung his fast under the blankets and thumped Billy in the kidneys.
“Gi’o’er! That hurts!”
“Well shut it then.”
“I’ll tell my mam on thi.”
If the conversation between Jud and Billy is translated into standard Italian, information
about their social class and regional background is lost. What options are available to the
translator?
Sometimes a translation can add something that the source text does not have. The Asterix
comic strips by Goscinny e Uderzo were written in French. In the Italian translation of at
least one of the adventures, an extra layer of humour is added because the Roman
centurions speak the dialect of modern-day Rome.
Why are the Italian dubbed versions of the old Laurel and Hardy films funnier than the
original versions?
Changes in Regional Dialects over Time
The word Cockney refers to both the people and the dialect of London.
But in London traditional Cockney is being replaced by a new dialect:
Multicultural London English (MLE)
In many state schools in London white “Anglo” children are the
minority. They mix with kids who are first- or second-generation
immigrants from the Caribbean, Africa, the Indian subcontinent,
Romania, Poland, Bulgaria and many other countries. All those varieties
of English have got mixed together to produce MLE.
Some non-linguists dismiss MLE as “Jafaican”, i.e. Fake Jamaican,
whites kids who try to sound black like their favourite “grime” artists
(grime is a British style of rap music). Jamaican has had a big influence
on the development of MLE, but Hinglish (Hindi English) and Banglish
(Bangladeshi English) have been just as important.
Sociolects related to age
How do young Italians use the word figo? Does anyone over the age of 40 say it?
What other Italian slang words are only used by young people?
Recent youth slang in the USA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myWs3PPkjgc
Multicultural London English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z8JqutRWrs
For translators YouTube can be a very useful tool.
Genderlect. Do men and women speak differently?
Linguists interested in Gender Studies have identified certain differences in the way men
and women use language. Here is a summary of the findings:
MEN
WOMEN
Use language to preserve their
independence and negotiate status.
Use language to make connections and
reinforce intimacy.
More likely to be dogmatic and insistent.
Use “epistemic modality”: might, I think,
perhaps etc.
Depart more from the standard.
Use a variety closer to the standard.
Swear more.
Swear but less frequently than men do.
Gossip just as much as women do.
Are less likely to interrupt people.
The American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that
among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to
secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any
Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of
the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,
laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such
form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and
Happiness.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights,
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing
its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and
Happiness.
Noi riteniamo che sono per se stesse evidenti queste verità: che tutti gli uomini
sono creati eguali; che essi sono dal Creatore dotati di certi inalienabili diritti, che
tra questi diritti sono la Vita, la Libertà, e il perseguimento della Felicità; che per
garantire questi diritti sono istituiti tra gli uomini governi che derivano i loro giusti
poteri dal consenso dei governati; che ogni qualvolta una qualsiasi forma di
governo tende a negare questi fini, il popolo ha diritto di mutarla o abolirla e di
istituire un nuovo governo fondato su tali principi e di organizzarne i poteri nella
forma che sembri al popolo meglio atta a procurare la sua Sicurezza e la sua
Felicità.
FALSE FRIENDS 8
Can a Muslim have catholic tastes in art and literature?
Which, if any, of these women would you describe as a bimbo?
A. Barbara Guerri B. Valeria Marini C. Maria Elena Boschi
Cave: caverna, grotta
Cava: quarry (di pietra/marmo), pit (di ghiaia/gesso)
Celebrate: di solito nel senso di festeggiare: she organized a party to celebrate getting her
degree. Viene usata come celebrare in un evento di solennità: celebrate mass,
celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
THE DIARY OF A BRAVE TRANSLATOR VERILY IN LEG – PART 8
It rained heavily yesterday and when I went out to buy my newspaper I really wet myself.
We usually get a lot of rain in November, not in October, and by now I have the boxes full.
The American novelist Mark Twain had reason; he said, “Everyone laments about the
weather but no one does anything about it.”