Variation Inside One Language · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

One language, many voices

Languages · Texts, Media & Translation · ages 17-18
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which description best defines a dialect rather than an accent or a register?

    • A shared pronunciation pattern, without describing vocabulary or grammar.
    • A style linked to a particular audience, purpose or activity.
    • A regional or social variety with shared language patterns.

  2. For the device that carries people between floors, which comparison matches the common regional terms taught here?

    • British English: lift; American English: elevator.
    • British English: elevator; American English: lift.
    • British and American English: elevator in every context.

  3. A formal application written in British English must avoid lift, meaning the device between floors, because it is a regional word.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. In an invented translation task, the source means 'The talk is in the meeting hall.' Local readers prefer community room, and the brief asks for a neutral tone. Which wording fits?

    • Get over to the community room, mate.
    • The talk is in the community room.
    • The talk is in the meeting hall.

  5. Which process helps English conventions gain standard status?

    • A grammatical test proving one community's patterns better than all others.
    • Repeated use in schools and publishing, supported by social prestige.
    • A worldwide English authority selecting a single form for every region.

  6. In Cockney rhyming slang, boat race replaces a word that rhymes with race. In 'Wash your boat', which meaning fits?

    • Wash your face.
    • Wash your coat.
    • Wash your boots.

  7. You move to a new city and hear unfamiliar expressions. Which first-week plan best helps you learn their use without treating one speaker as the whole city?

    • Record one speaker's phrases, then use that list as rules for the whole city.
    • Copy an online accent, then use every listed phrase in the same way.
    • Record speakers and settings, ask about usage, then try and check.

  8. A visitor learns local words, then exaggerates the local accent to make its speakers sound foolish. Which change addresses the problem without giving up learning?

    • Keep the performance, since knowing the meanings makes any imitation respectful.
    • Continue learning local words, but stop the accent performance.
    • Switch to a different exaggerated accent without asking the speakers about it.
LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-mt_H8tghWQO59-s1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

One language, many voices W1-mt_H8tghWQO59-s1

  1. A regional or social variety with shared language patterns. · A dialect has shared patterns of pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. An accent concerns pronunciation; register concerns the situation.
  2. British English: lift; American English: elevator. · Lift is common in British English and elevator in American English. These are regional vocabulary patterns, not rules for every speaker.
  3. False · Regional vocabulary can belong to a standard variety and suit formal writing. Lift is not excluded merely because its use differs by region.
  4. The talk is in the community room. · The sentence 'The talk is in the community room.' keeps the message about the event and its location, uses the supplied local term and maintains a neutral tone. The exercise does not claim this preference applies to a real region.
  5. Repeated use in schools and publishing, supported by social prestige. · Institutional use and social prestige help conventions gain standard status. That status does not prove better grammar, and English has no single worldwide authority.
  6. Wash your face. · Race rhymes with face. Boat is shortened from boat race here, so 'Wash your boat' means 'Wash your face'.
  7. Record speakers and settings, ask about usage, then try and check. · Comparing speakers and settings helps you investigate usage. Asking checks your interpretation, and contextual practice lets you check your use. One speaker or an online accent cannot represent the whole city.
  8. Continue learning local words, but stop the accent performance. · The stated purpose of the performance is to ridicule speakers. Stopping that performance addresses the problem; learning local words does not require mocking an accent.
Worksheet · LightMySky