Abstract
Mainstream attitudes to language have shifted from a basically normative and prescriptive orientation to one that celebrates actual performance and variation. This article discusses where this leaves the issue of linguistic deviations (including shortcomings). The basic theoretical framework is evolutionary theory, extended to include cultural evolution. This makes it possible to consider (in a theoretically well-founded manner) a key factor that tends to be underestimated in relation to language: the role of selection pressures as a feature of the sociocultural environment. Based on examples from a reality show (Amalies verden), the article considers in what different ways utterances may be classed as deviant from the perspective of function-based structure and discusses to what extent the recognition of a community langue as a source of adaptive pressure may throw light on different types of deviation, including language handicaps and learner errors.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 2 |
| Journal | Acta Hafniensia Linguistica, International journal of linguistics |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Pages (from-to) | 22-44 |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| ISSN | 0374-0463 |
| Publication status | Published - 2012 |
Keywords
- Faculty of Humanities