Diatype
Diatype is a term first used by the linguist Michael Gregory to describe a type of language variation which is determined by it's social purpose. In his formulation, language variation can be divided into two categories: dialect, for variation according to user (eg. African American Vernacular English), and diatype for variation according to use (eg. the specialised langauge of an academic journal).
| Diatype | Dialect |
|---|---|
| Use | User |
| Intra-speaker variation | Inter-speaker variation |
| Discourse community | Speech community |
| Field, tenor, mode | Geographic, social, temporal |
The distinction between the terms is not always clear; in some cases a language variety may be understood as both a dialect and a diatype. The term register is often used in place of 'diatype'. The terms style and genre can also overlap in meaning.
Three variables of dialect are:
- Geographical: Where the speech community is based.
- Social: What social group/s the speech community belong to.
- Temporal: In what time (present or historical) the speech community exists.
Diatype is usually analysed in terms of:
- Field: The subject matter or setting.
- Tenor: The participants and their relationships.
- Mode: The channel of communication, such as spoken, written or signed.
References
- Gregory, M. (1967): Aspects of Varieties Differentiation, in: Journal of Linguistics 3, pp. 177-197.