engleski

(Re)creation of Positive Dialect Appraisal and Consequential Dialect Ideology

The existence of the ideology of the standard variety has hardly ever been brought into question. Most sociolinguists (Milroy & Milroy, 1999 ; Trudgill, 1999 ; Thomas, 1991 ; Leith, 1997 ; Crowley, 2003) agree (directly or indirectly) that it is precisely its abstract nature that makes the standard language variety susceptible to becoming an object of a specific ideological system of sociocultural beliefs. Furthermore, if the basic function of any ideology is the naturalization of social processes which is achieved through "disciplining" language (Crowley, 2003), the standard variety presents itself as the ideal candidate for such processes. The notion of standard language culture is yet another argument for the general acceptance of the ideology of the standard variety as it refers to the process of equating the standard variety (or what is believed to be the standard variety) with language as a whole and with what appears to be the correct usage of that language (Mićanović, 2006). However, not much has been said about the possible existence and/or (re)creation of dialect ideology. In fact, such a term has been avoided in sociolingustic literature. The reasons for this may be found, among other things, in the fact that there is nothing abstract in the linguistic structure of dialects and especially in their usage. However, broad definitions of standard language ideology that certain authors (Milroy, 1999) provide lend themselves to an equally efficient application to what may be termed dialect ideology. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that the ideology of the standard variety is not as strong as it used to be. After the process of creation and establishment of nation states had finished, it was no longer necessary to use the concept of ideology in connection to the standard variety and elevate it to the symbol of the validity of the existence of a particular nation. What seems to have been overriding such a view of specific language varieties is the notion of an increasing appreciation of various dialects. This is most evident through the investigation of a specific sociolinguistic function of the purity of language varieties. The solidarity function is a common link between the standard and various dialectal varieties. It is the only function that may be identified within the assumed dialect ideology. In this paper we shall try to identify all possible evidence that may give us a hint into the likelihood of the (re)creation of positive dialect appraisal and consequential dialect ideology. The main focus will not be placed on language varieties within specific language systems, but rather on various theoretical assertions/claims that may open the door for the discussion and elaboration of dialect ideology. However, most evidence to support such claims (e.g. recent changes in the evaluation of language competence tests) will be identified within the English language.

ideology; dialect; standard variety

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