Linguistic Varieties and
Multilingual Nations
Over half the world’s population is bilingual and
many people are multilingual. They acquire a
number of languages because they need them for
different purpose in their everyday interaction
Vernacular Languages
Standard
Languages
World Englishes
Lingua
Franca
Pidgin
Creoles
It generally refers to a language which has not been
standardized and which does not have official status.
Vernacular are usually the first language learned by people in
multilingual language communities, and they are often used for
a relatively narrow range of informal functions.
Example : like a children are talking with their friends used
informal language from his places. That is the Vernacular
language that they use.
Components of Vernacular
Languages
▪ A vernacular is an uncodified or
unstandardized.
▪ It refers to the most colloquial variety in the
person's linguistic repertoire.
▪ It is used to indicate that a language is used
in informal everyday interactions without
implying that it is appropriate.
Recognized as a prestigious variety or code by a community.
Generally is written, and has undergone some degree of
regularization or codification. Standard language is most useful
and widely used as an official language or the national
language.
Example: Human in their places use standard language in their
places. Like Indonesia, we used Bahasa Indonesia as Standard
Languages.
A language used for communication between different language
users, for people whose first languages differ.
Example:
▪ Academics and experts meet at international conferences or
when politicians arrange summit meetings; English, French,
or Spanish is often used as a lingua franca.
▪ Like in Bali, many people want to talk with other people use
Balinese language.
In some countries the most useful and widely used lingua franca
is an official language or the national language.
e.g.
1. Swahili in Tanzania
2. Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea
3. Russian among a hundred different vernaculars
Example of Tok Pisin
Tok
Pisin
Bik
Brait
Daun
Nogut
Pret
doti
English
Tok Pisin
English
Big-large
Wide
Low
Bad
Afraid
dirty
Bikim
Braitim
Daunim
Nogutim
Pretim
Dotim
To
enlarge,
make
larger
To make
wide, widen
To lower
To spoil, damage
To frighten,
scare
Pidgin is a language that has no native speakers. Pidgins
evolved as a means of communication between people who do
not have the same language.
It grows up among people who do not share a common language
but who want to communicate with each other
Example: Like People from Saparua talk with someone from
Aboru in the street their pronunciation will be different.
Why Pidgin developed?
Pidgins develop as a means of communication between people
who do not have a common language.
What kind of linguistic structure does a pidgin language have?
Pidgin languages are created from the combined efforts of
people who speak different languages.
All languages involved may contribute to the sounds, the
vocabulary, and the grammatical.
Attitudes
Pidgin languages do not have high status or prestige
1. It is used in limited domains and functions
2. It has a simpler structure than the source language
3. It generally has a low prestige and attract negative
attitude especially from outside
A Creole is when a pidgin language is adopted by a community as
its native tongue and children learn it as first language.
According to the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, a Creole is
“a pidgin which has become the mother tongue of a
community,” and therefore has native speakers.
Creole also means that a language that begins as a pidgin and
eventually becomes a first language of a speech community through
being learned by children.
Example:
Bahasa Melayu was adopted as Bahasa Persatuan (unifying
language) called Bahasa Indonesia. After being adopted as
Indonesian community, it has been learnt by Indonesian people as
native language. At present, there are native speakers of the
language.