| Variety (linguistics) |
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A variety of a Language is a form that differs from other forms of the language systematically and coherently. ''Variety'' is a wider concept than '' Style Of Prose '' or '' Style Of Language ''. Some writers in Sociolinguistics use the term ''lect'', apparently a Back-formation from specific terms such as ''dialect'' and ''idiolect''. Examples of varieties are:
Varieties such as dialects, idiolects, and sociolects can be distinguished not only by their vocabulary, but also by differences in Grammar , Phonology and Prosody . For instance the tonal word accents of Scandinavian Languages has differing realizations in many dialects. As another example, foreign words in different sociolects vary in their degree of adaptation to the basic phonology of the language. Certain professional registers such as Legalese show a variation in grammar from the standard language. For instance English journalists or lawyers often use Grammatical Mood s such as ''subjunctive mood'' or ''conditional mood'', which are no longer used frequently by other speakers. Many registers are simply a specialised set of terms (see Technical Terminology , Jargon ). It is a matter of definition whether Slang and Argot are to be considered included in the concept of ''variety'' or of ''style.'' Colloquialism s and Idiomatic Expression s are usually understood as limited to variation of Lexicon , and hence of ''style.'' SEE ALSO |
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