KINDS OF VARIATION

KINDS OF VARIATION

A.       Background
            As we know that in fact, the language in the world and is not a single language but different. Moreover, in a variety of languages ​​have various forms, such as standard and non-standard variations. These variations arise because of social and cultural factors, where individuals or groups of individuals live.

Language is a vehicle to interact with other people. Thus every people of course should own and use the social means of communication. There are no people without country and no country without people. While the science and technology is running, so language experience transition is very significant. Language really could not apart from every people.

In Sociolinguistics as we know study the relationship between language and society. The sociolinguistics deals with explaining why we speak differently in different social context and factor such as, class, ethnicity, age, and sex. This study is concerned with the identifying the social functions of language and the ways it is used to convey social meaning. Sociolinguistics is also the study about dialects, languages in contact, language and education, and language in use.

In Linguistic variation is central to the study of language use. In fact it is impossible to study the language forms used in natural texts without being confronted with the issue of linguistic variability. Variability is inherent in human language: a single speaker will use different linguistic forms on different occasions, and different speakers of a language will express the same meanings using different forms. Most of this variation is highly systematic: speakers of a language make choices in pronunciation, morphology, word choice, and grammar depending on a number of non-linguistic factors. These factors include the speaker's purpose in communication, the relationship between speaker and hearer, the production circumstances, and various demographic affiliations that a speaker can have."

B.       Example of language variation

1.      Phonetic Variation

Phonetic variation is study about sounds an place of articulation.

Example in English :

    Word                 British                     American

Ø  government     /ˈgʌv. ə n.mənt/            /- ə m-/ /-ɚn-/

Ø  antibody          /ˈæn.tiˌbɒd.i/              /-t ̬iˌbɑː.di/

Ø  boner               /ˈbəʊ.nə r /                   /ˈboʊ.nɚ/

Ø  disposed          /dɪˈspəʊzd/                 /-ˈspoʊzd/

Ø  document        /ˈdɒk.jʊ.mənt/            /ˈdɑː.kjʊ-/

Example in Batak Language :

             Word             How to read

v Jungkat            ( Jukkat )

     Mansai jungkat do anakkon nai

v Sintong            (Sittong)

     Sintong do nadik nai

v Tangkang        (Takkang)

     Takkang do anak nai marnatoras

v Tingki              ( Tikki )

     Jumpang do hami tikki marnatal

v Sangap            ( Sakkap )

     Mansai sangap do ulaon nai

2.      Phonological Variation

Phonological variation is study about speech sound and the manner of articulation.

Example :

In English :

• write -- ride                
• rope -- robe
• lock -- log
• pick -- pig
• tap – tab
• hole -- whole
• buy – by

In Indonesia language  :

·         Bank – bang

Bank ( tempat penyimpanna uang )

Bang ( panggilan untuk saudara laki-laki)

·         Bunga  -- bunga

Bunga ( tanaman)

Bunga ( bonus dalam penyimpanan uang )

·         Kamboja – kamboja

Kamboja ( Negara )

Kamboja ( tumbuhan )

·         Kupu-kupu  – kupu-kupu

Kupu-kupu ( hewan )

Kupu-kupu ( wanita malam )

·         Natu -- natu

Natu ( Alat kelamin ) B.Karo

Natu (kemana) B.Toba

3.      Morphological Variation

Morphological Variation is study about forming word or the study of morphemes, or the internal structures of words and how they can be modified

Example in English :

v  Affix

Examples: abuser, refusal, untie, inspection, pre-cook.

v  Prefix

Example : untie, unfasten , unclear, unsafe, unclear

v  Suffix

Example : famous, glamorous, printable, drinkable, electricity  

Example in Batak Languange :

Prefix :                                                                                   

v  Manghatindangkon

v  Mangiring

v  Marsoban

v  Manduda

v  Manerser

Suffix :

v  Hodokon

v  Holsoan

v  Lompaon

v  Bobangon

v  Loakon

4.      Syntactic  Variation

Syntactic variation is study about forming structure in the sentences.

Example  in English :

ü  Active       : The lecturer teaches the students

Passive      : The students are taught by the lecturer

ü  Active       : My mother cleans the kitchen once a week

Passive      : The kitchen is cleaned by mother once a week

ü  Active       : Anita is writing the letter right now

Passive      : The letter is being written by Anita

ü  Active       : Many tourists have visited that beach.

Passive      : That beach has been visited by many tourists

ü  Active       : Andrew will finish his work by 4:00 P.M

Passive      : The work will be finished by Andrew at 4:00 P.M

Example  in Batak Language :

ü  Mangallang gulamo do nasida

ü  Manggoreng gadong hami nantoari

ü  Marpungu do hami di alaman i anon borngin

ü  Manuhor dekke do nantoari umak ku

ü  Manaruhon anggina lao tu parsikkolaanna 

5.      Semantics Variation

Semantics Variation is study about meaning of words (lexical semantics) and fixed word combinations (phraseology), and how these combine to form the meanings of sentences.

Semantics deals with the study of meaning; how we combine words to create meaningful discourse.  It studies the relationship between signs and symbols and what they represent. It is also used in logic as the principles that determine truth-values of formulas within a logical system.

There are two types of Semantics:

·         Connotative Semantic

When a word suggests a set of associations, or it is an imaginative or emotional suggestion connected with the words, while readers can relate to such associations. Simply, it represents figurative meaning. Usually poets use this type of meaning in their poetry.

Ex :  Green table, serigala berbulu domba

·         Denotative Semantic

It suggests the literal, explicit or dictionary meanings of the words without using associated meanings. It also uses symbols in writing that suggest expressions of writers such as an exclamation mark, quotation mark, apostrophe, colon, and quotation mark etc.

Ex : Thin, Horas

Example :

• Awful—Originally meant "inspiring wonder (or fear)". Used originally as a shortening for "full of awe", in contemporary usage the word usually has negative meaning.
• Demagogue—Originally meant "a popular leader". It is from the Greek dēmagōgós "leader of the people", from dēmos "people" + agōgós "leading, guiding".
• Egregious—Originally described something that was remarkably good. The word is from the Latin egregius "illustrious, select", literally, "standing out from the flock", which is from ex—"out of" + greg—(grex) "flock". Now it means something that is remarkably bad or flagrant.
• The word "business", which originally meant "a state of being busy, careworn or anxious", but has now broadened to include all kinds of work occupations. Deterioration occurs when a word gains association with a negative stimulus, to then hold negative connotations.
• Gay—Originally meant (13th century) "lighthearted", "joyous" or (14th century) "bright and showy", it also came to mean "happy"; it acquired connotations of immorality, either sexual e.g., gay woman "prostitute", gay man "womanizer", gay house "brothel", or otherwise.

C.        Conclusion

Language variation is many ways of speakers to speak English by their style. Language may change forms region to region, from one social to another, from individual to individual, and from situation to situation. This actual changes result in the varieties of language.

Variation is a characteristic of language: there is more than one way of saying the same thing. Speakers may vary pronunciation (accent), word choice (lexicon), or morphology and syntax (sometimes called "grammar"). But while the diversity of variation is great, there seem to be boundaries on variation – speakers do not generally make drastic alterations in sentence word order or use novel sounds that are completely foreign to the language being spoken. Language variation does not equate with language ungrammaticality, but speakers are still (often unconsciously) sensitive to what is and is not possible in their native tongue. Language variation is a core concept in sociolinguistics.