QUESTIONS ABOUT MILROY


1)	What is more common in language uniformity or variability?
Variability is more common  due to the language variations are a 
continuous process, and it is known that languages are never uniform 
entities.



2) What kinds of variability exist?
Social, register, geographical, temporary...



3)	How do we decide if a particular group of speakers belong to a 
particular dialect or language?
We have to see their phonetics, vocabulary and also their grammar.


4)	Saussure emphasized the importance of synchronic descriptions 
of languages rather than diachronic. He and is disciples 
(structuralists) focused on language at different periods as finite 
entities. Is this reasonable?
 I don´t think so, because is more reasonable to study a language in a  
diachronic way because you could observe the changes over the periods.


 5) The unattested states of language were seen as transitional stages 
in which the structure of a language was, as it were, disturbed. This 
made linguistic change look abnormal. Is it abnormal?
 No, linguistic change is necessary to all the languages.


 6) Can you think of any example of non-professional attitudes to your 
own language?
 Some of non- professional attitudes in the Spanish language could be:
Tampoco / tan poco
Haya / halla
Basto / vasto
A / ha


 7) Why does Milroy use “scare quotes” around non-standard and errors? 
Because he doesn´t accept the the term at all.
 

8) Are non-standard dialects “incorrect, irregular, ungrammatical and 
deviant.”?
 No, they have less support than standard dialects and that´s not 
correct because they have their own grammar, vocabulary and syntax.


9) Which of these systems is more irregular? Why?
Myself
Yourself
Himself
Herself
Ourselves
Themselves	Myself
Yourself
Hisself
Herself
Ourselves
Theirselves
 The first one is the standard use and the most common although is less 
regular. 


 10) Why is this so? For example: He ate the pie already is considered 
to be non-standard in which variety of English and perfectly acceptable 
in which other?
The phrase “He ate the pie already” would be acceptable in colloquial 
speech but not in formal one (He has already eaten the pie).
 

12) What is the difference between descriptive and prescriptive 
grammars?
 Descriptive Grammar refers to the structure of a language as it is 
actually used by speakers and writers and it studies the rules and 
patterns that underlie our use of words, phrases, clauses and 
sentences, by the way, Prescriptive Grammar refers to the structure of 
a language as certain people think it should be used.
 

13) What do you think the “prestige motivation for change” and 
the “solidarity constraint” mean? How are they opposed?
 Prestige motivation for change differs between groups separated by 
certain social variables, e.g., ethnicity, status, gender, level of 
education, age, etc., and how creation and adherence to these rules is 
used to categorize individuals in social class or socio-economic 
classes. As the usage of a language varies from place to 
place ,language usage varies among social classes.
Solidarity constrait might mean that society has an effect on the way 
language changes, including cultural norms, expectations, and context.
 

14) Actuation: Why did /k/ palatalize before certain front vowels? 
PrsE: cheese, German käse English/Norse doublets shirt/skirt?
 
 Palatalization may be a synchronic phonological process, i.e., some 
phonemes are palatalized in certain contexts, typically before front 
vowels or especially high front vowels, and remain non-palatalized 
elsewhere. This is usually phonetic palatalization, as described above, 
but need not to be. It is usually allophonic and it may go unnoticed by 
native speakers. As an example, compare the /k/ of English key with 
the /k/ of coo, or the /t/ of tea with the /t/ of took. The first word 
of each pair is palatalized, but few English speakers would perceive 
them as distinct.

15) What is the biological metaphor in language change? 
 It is well known that metaphor has both conceptual and linguistic 
features. 
 

16) What is the difference between internal and external histories of a 
language? 
 The difference between internal and external histories of language is 
related to external and internal dimensions of linguistic change. 
Obviously there are internal factors, which favour language change such 
as psychological factors, structural regularity etc and the external 
ones are historical and social factors.


17) Look up Neogrammarians and lexical diffusion. Why are they often 
found in the same paragraph or chapter?
 Because the theory of lexical diffusion is opposed to the 
Neogrammarian theory.
 

18) Look up social norm-enforcement, childish errors and slips of the 
tongue. What have they to do with language change?
 Language is a normative phenomenon and the norms of language are 
maintained and enforced by social pressures But other norms exist apart 
which are those from different dialects and often maintained by 
communities in opposition to standardizing norms