The notion of ”linguistic System” revisited

The notion of variation in language use is investigated, with particular emphasis on pidgin- & creole-speaking communities. Treatment of Black English & dialectology during the 1960s & 1970s is reviewed & the nature & concept of language as an autonomous structure is discussed. Reference is made to the work of William Labov (1971) regarding language as a system & the role of variation in understanding language. The notion of linguistic system is contrasted between the various positions held by D. DeCamp, D. Bickerton, & Labov. Through a synthesis of Labov's quantitative paradigm & the dynamic concepts of Bickerton & DeCamp, a scientific theory of language emerges. The foundations for being able to dissect various lects & to explain variable rules are based in a study of multilingual contexts & code-switching, both influencing variation. The language development of children (N not specified) in Belize was studied & the findings are shared, with a projection onto the way in which all languages develop. 32 References. Adapted from the source document