Linguistic Report

• Group 1• Lillian 587201793• Vicky 588201063• Clare 588201178• Nicole 588201532• Catherine 588201623• Grace 588201661• Belle 588201685• Ellen 588202419

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Language Variation

• Regional varieties: political, geographical, cultural factors

• Social varieties: socioeconomic status, ethnicity, age,

• education, gender• Stylistic varieties: registers• ( formal v.s. informal; standard v.s.

nonstandard )

Socioeconomic status

Socioeconomic status means there is a hierarchy in the society according to citizen’s economy. There are usually three classes divided in the society: high class, middle class and low class. People in the different classes have their own speaking styles and use distinctive languages. In the low class the language characteristics are that when people speak, they usually add four-letter words unconsciously to express their feeling. For example in this film, Pretty Woman, when Vivian asks Kit leaving from that place, Kit answers her “ What fuck you want to go?” Besides, their language is vulgar. For instance, Vivian says, “I bet.” In addition, the language is informal one. They are accustomed to using abbreviated sentences and sentences are ungrammatical. For example, Vivian says, “Hey, Sugar, you lookin for a date? Or “You gonna tell me you’re lost.” We can find a lot of sentences like these ones.  

On the contrary, people in the high class speak more delicately and politely. For example, in the restaurant, Vivian becomes a high-class person so her language is so delicate and polite. Vivian says, “ I’m going to the lady’s room. Excuse me.” Edward says, “ May I help you order the dinner? Vivian answers “Ya” unconsciously but she switches her sentences quickly and says, “Please do so.

Thank you.” Another example is in the Opera Theater when an old lady asks Vivian “ Do you enjoy the opera, Dear?” Vivian replies “So good that almost makes me pee in my pants.” The old lady is so shock because this sentence is vulgar. Therefore, Edward tries to modify what Vivian says. In addition, high-class people usually use

formal and complete sentences.   

 

***Gender***  Definition:

Sometimes different gender use different words to present the same things or meaning. In Pretty Woman, we can find that there are many similar situations in t

heir dialogs. 1.     Vivian always called Edward “dear”, but Edward called him “honey!” or “sweet heart!” you can find the same situation when people are in public place. Women always called their husband or boyfriends “dear!” And Men always cal

led their wife or girlfriends. 2.     In the bar, man called the publican “guy!” and girls called him “ 老爹”

3.     “It’s time to kill it”(MEN) “It’s time to finish it(women)4.     “Hi! Guys” (Men) Vivian called her friend “ Kids” ( 丫頭 ).

5.     Edward “I was angry with my father!” Vivian “I was angry with ten thousand dollars!”

6.     Vivian “Baby, I will treat you so nice and you will not let me go!” Edward “ Miss Vivian, I will let you go.” Different age and educational back

ground.7.     “Body! You are lucky!-------“Girls!”

8.     In the company, Edward called his employees “gentleman!”There is a little different when they are not in the company. They just called thei

r name directly.

Stylistic varieties: • Registers( formal VS. informal) (stander VS. nonstandard)• Definition of register: A stylistic variant of a language appropriate to a particular

social setting. Also called style. • Most speakers of a language know many dialects. They use one dialect when ou

t with friends, another when on a job interview or presenting a report in class, and another when talking to their parents. These “situation dialects” are called styles or registers.

• Formal:• 1.Edward: Can you tell me how to get to Beverly Hills?• Vivian: Sure. For five bucks.• 2. MR. THOMAS:• Bridget, hello, this is Barnard Thomas over at the Regent Beverly

Wilshire. Well, thank you, that's flattering. I'd like to ask a favor of you.• I'm going to send someone over. Her name is Vivian. She's a guest of ours.• A very special guest. Informal: • 1.Edward: Impressed?• Vivian: You kidding? I come here all the time. As the matter of fact they do• rent this room by the hour.• 2. Edward: No hurry, would you like some breakfast?• Vivian: Only if you do.

Regional dialects          What is “regional dialects”?

→From Pygmalion of Bernard Shaw, we can know that dialectal diversity develops when people are separated from each other geographically and socially. Moreover, a change that occurs in one region and fails to spread to other regions of the language community (Maybe is obstructed by physical barrier such as ocean or mountain range, or social barrier of a political, racial, class, or religious.) gives rise to dialect differences. When enough such differences give the language that spoken in a particular region (the southern area of the United States) and have their own “flavor,” that version of the language is referred to as regional dialects. (400) Therefore, the definition of regional dialects is that a kind of language that just be spoken or understood in the certain or particular region, su

ch as Taiwanese and Hakka in Taiwan.

Ø Some examples from the film “Pretty Woman”---

Because Vivian is a prostitute, sometimes whatever the words and the speaking tones she uses are quite coarse and with low level. Such a usage of language may be a kind

of regional dialects.

Landlord: Kit gave me nothing.Vivian: You bullshitting me?

Carlos: Ey! What is it you wan', baby?I can fix you up. Vivi

an: Beat it, scum bucket!

Edward: What was I supposed to do?I told the truth. Why should the truth upset you? It's not as if you're from a convent.Vivian: I want my fucking money. I'm getting out of

here. I don't want anything more to do with you.

Reference Information

• ☆An Introduction to Language byVictoria Fromkin & Robert Rodman

• ☆http://www.simplyscripts.com/movie.html• ☆ Fromkin Rodman (sixth edition): An Introduction to L

anguage. Harcourt

• ☆http://blake.prohosting.com/awsm/script/prettywoman.html