The existence of language
varieties side by side
(synchronic variability)
Language change = the
constant change of language
varieties along the
dimension of time
(diachronic variability
Language identity = a
socio-psychological concept, one
language is the sum of all the
varieties that their users are
culturally and politically conditioned
to regard as one and the same
language
Sociolinguistics = the study
of language in relation to
society
Isogloss = the line marking the
limit of the distribution of a
linguistic feature on a map
Standard variety (prestige
variety) = when a regional
variety gains social-political
priority over the others and is
no longer restricted to the
geographical area where it was
originally used
Double (or multiple) negation =
having two (or more) negations in a
sentence, a non-standard sociolectal
feature used by uneducated speakers
Pidgin = a simplified version of a
European language, containing
features of one or more local
languages, used for occasional
communication between people with
no common language
Creole = a pidgin that has
become the native language
of a community
Medium conditioned variation = a
variety of language conditioned by the
medium of language use (spoken and its
subtypes, written and its subtypes
Neutral style = a style
that does not show any
obvious colouring
brought about by
relative social status or
attitude
Stylistically appropriate =
matching the stylistic
requirements of the situation
Argot, a.k.a.
cant
criminals'
jargon
Code switching = the
ability to change from
one language variety
to another
Diglossia = the coexistence of a
high and a low prestige
language-variety in a
community, used in different
situations