social groups glossary

Question 1

stereotypes

Answer 1

a widely held but fixed and over simplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing

Question 2

reappropriation

Answer 2

reclaiming a word or phrase that has come to mean something insulting and using it as if it’s normal or complimentary

Question 3

to stigmatise

Answer 3

to describe or regard someone or something as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval.

Question 4

idiolect

Answer 4

a persons distinctive way of speaking and using language

Question 5

sociolect

Answer 5

a language variety influenced by certain social factors or groups

Question 6

famialect

Answer 6

a set of invented words or phrases with meanings understood within members of a family or small group

Question 7

language repetoir

Answer 7

the range of speech styles which an individual speaker uses

Question 8

prescriptivism

Answer 8

embraces ideas of ‘correctness’ of language. They will frown upon slang and inaccurate use of the english language

Question 9

overt prestige

Answer 9

standard english is generally socially acknowledged as ‘correct’ therefore highly valued among all speakers of the language

Question 10

covert prestige

Answer 10

the high social status attributed to a non-standard language variety or dialect within a speech community, though often only by speakers of that variety

Question 11

pejorative

Answer 11

to have a negative/v unpleasant/ derogatory meaning.

Question 12

class

Answer 12

a division of a society based on social and economic status.