Dialectology studies language variations, including pronunciation, word choice, and spelling. It defines dialect as mutually intelligible and considers political and social factors. It can reveal historical and societal changes and is useful in teaching.
Dialectology is a study of language that focuses on understanding dialects. It is part of a larger group of studies called sociolinguistics, which evaluate the many elements that shape communication across entire cultures or in smaller groups. When dialectologists study language they are primarily concerned with identifying how the same language can vary, based on a variety of circumstances. This doesn’t just mean changes in pronunciation, but it can also mean differences in word choice, spelling, and other factors.
It can be a bit difficult to determine what constitutes a dialect. Dialectology can define this as meeting several flexible standards. These include that the dialect can be well understood by speakers of the language who do not use it, and that those who do use the dialect can understand the common language used by others. A good example of this would be someone who speaks an American dialect but can understand a British TV programme; this is called mutual intelligibility.
Those interested in dialectology also take into account how speakers of the dialect would perceive their own language and whether they see it as part of a larger language or separate from it. Also, the dialect or language can sometimes be politically defined, even if it bears similarities to another language. For example, country leaders might declare that two languages are separate, for a variety of reasons.
Once a person working in dialectology determines that language use in a particular area or social group constitutes a dialect of a major language, studying the development of that dialect may prove useful. Since languages often have multiple dialects, this can tell a lot about the development of a society over time. For example, a wave of immigration into a particular area could change word choice, pronunciation and usage, and the development of a separate dialect could be studied to assess whether it corresponds to mass immigration. In a sense dialectology becomes the linguistic analysis of political and social history, as well as specifically describing the changes between one dialect and another.
While dialectology may focus primarily on studies of dialect as a revealing aspect of history, society, and language development, this work is significant in the present. In any country or area where there are multiple dialects, such as the US or the UK, some knowledge of dialectology can be useful in teaching, especially when educating early readers and writers. Understanding that words read aloud might be pronounced differently can help teachers evaluate accordingly. Similarly, if dialect differences are significant, students may write using word choices that seem non-standard. If these students need to write a more consistent form of English, they may need additional help, instruction and support in the classroom.
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