Language Variety
A language variety is any distinct form of a language, defined by a particular combination of linguistic features (phonological, grammatical, lexical). The term is deliberately neutral -- it covers dialects, accents, sociolects, idiolects, registers, and styles without implying that any variety is superior or inferior.
Types of Variety
| Type | Defined by | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Dialect | Regional/social grammar + vocabulary + pronunciation | Yorkshire English, African American English |
| Accent | Pronunciation only | RP, General American, Australian |
| Sociolect | Social group membership | Working-class English, teenage slang |
| Idiolect | Individual speaker | Each person's unique combination |
| Register | Situational context (field, tenor, mode) | Legal English, academic prose, casual chat |
| Style | Formality level within a speaker's repertoire | Formal lecture vs pub conversation |
See Dialect and Accent, Sociolect, Idiolect, Register for detailed treatment of each type.
Key Principles
All Varieties Are Linguistically Equal
No variety is inherently more logical, expressive, or correct than another. "Standard English" is a variety that has been selected for social and political reasons -- it is not linguistically superior. What counts as "standard" is determined by power, not by linguistic quality. See Standard Language.
Variation Is Universal
Every speaker commands multiple varieties -- shifting between registers, adjusting formality, code-switching between languages. Monolingual, mono-varietal speakers do not exist. See Style Shifting, Code-Switching.
Variety vs Language
The boundary between "language" and "dialect" is political, not linguistic. The often-quoted observation (attributed to Max Weinreich) applies: "A language is a dialect with an army and a navy." Mutual intelligibility is not a reliable criterion -- Norwegian and Swedish are mutually intelligible but called separate languages; Cantonese and Mandarin are mutually unintelligible but called dialects of Chinese.
Relevance to ELT
- Which variety to teach? -- The rise of ELF and World Englishes challenges the assumption that Inner Circle varieties are the only legitimate targets
- Variety awareness -- learners benefit from exposure to multiple varieties for listening comprehension and intercultural competence
- Avoiding linguistic prejudice -- teachers should recognise that learner varieties (interlanguage) are systematic, not defective
- Assessment -- Intelligibility rather than native-speaker conformity is increasingly accepted as the appropriate standard