THE 5 MOST PROMINENT LANGUAGE VARIATIONS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The variations of the tongue are all those forms by which an individual, or a social set equal linguistic characteristics, you can express the same concepts in different ways.

These variations are present at different social levels: professional and formal, colloquial and even secret. The cultural qualities of a society and the flexibility of the language they handle condition the appearance and implementation of these variations.

Even if they were different societies whose language is English, for example, each one can develop its own variations, based mainly on its cultural background.

These variations often manipulate the construction of sentences or the pronunciation of words, in order to give them a particular definition within a specific context.

The vast majority of existing languages ​​allow variations. The knowledge of these variations can provide a better conception about the cultural and linguistic character of a society.

Linguistic freedom and its continuous evolution throughout history has allowed the evolution of some variations and the appearance of others. Therefore, those existing today are not permanent, and their characteristics will be molded at the rate in which the formal conception of the language evolves.

The main variations that are considered today for the Spanish language are the dialect, slang, slang or caló, and particular idioms.

Five variations

1- Dialect

The dialect is a linguistic, oral and written variation that is practiced in specific regions of some countries. Part of the main grammar bases of the mother tongue of the nation, but modifies them according to your preferences.

Over the years, the dialect has gained immense importance in many regions, reaching the point of being preferred over the official language.

In some cases, the dialect may not be a direct derivative of the mother or official language of the specific nation, although it may have qualities that relate it to that one.

The practice of the dialect is mainly subject to a region and its inhabitants; but other factors, such as social class, can influence its proliferation and use through generations.

It is one of the most classic forms of linguistic variations, due to the absence of a specific linguistic control or training in the past. This fostered the roots of the dialect as the main form of expression in the regions where it developed.

Although in some nations the eradication of the dialect is promoted, or at least its subjugation in front of the official language, in others it continues to be a linguistic form that brings its speakers much closer to their roots and their culture.

A clear example of a dialect is Neapolitan with respect to Italian. The former is preferred within the Naples region for communication between its own inhabitants, preferring it over the Italian without ignoring the latter's official status.

Example

Rioplatense is a dialect of Spanish that is practiced in the regions near the Río de la Plata in Argentina and Uruguay. It is the national standard in both countries, being the most common in audiovisual media.

Some of its distinctive features are voseo, a particular yeismo, the preference for the periphrastic future or the simple past or the fast and strong intonation.

2- Jargon

Slang is a linguistic form that handles the use of specialized words and concepts within a certain group of subjects, commonly related to a trade or professional activity.

Jargon simplifies the use of words to refer to particular situations resulting from the practice of these professions.

The use of jargon is considered necessary under the argument that every practice or science deserves its own version of the language, since when handling its own ideas and concepts, it must be able to count on the elements to express them in the most efficient way.

Oral or written, these elements usually start from classical linguistic concepts, with different denotations and connotations.

The appropriation and popularization of certain phrases or words that are put into practice by a specific group of subjects in specific situations, the use of which extends over a period of time until it is worn out and forgotten is also attributed as jargon.

Medical or oil jargon can be considered as examples. Using this jargon, members of these specific professional groups can simplify communication by dealing with particular aspects of their areas, while limiting the understanding of outsiders as well.

Misunderstanding by third parties is one of the qualities of the use of jargon, professional or social.

Example

Sports jargon is one of the most popular. They use a series of words or phrases that if you are not very familiar will put you "out of the game." In the previous sentence we have just made use of football jargon, which indicates that if you do not know the system and the rules of football, it is most likely that you do not know what is being talked about.

3- Slang

Slang is a linguistic form that makes use of words and concepts in a specialized way within a particular range. That is to say, it would be the same as jargon, but with a difference: it is used in contexts where there is a hidden motivation (criminality, delinquency, assailants, bandits, prostitution, terrorists, drug traffickers, etc.).

Example

In the world of drugs, it is very popular to use euphemisms or similes to refer to different substances. Likewise, its speakers often make use of rude or aggressive words.

4- Slang

Slang is the Anglo-Saxon term to refer to the most informal and colloquial variation of language in modern societies, present in almost all languages ​​and tied to specific cultural and regional conceptions.

Slang is considered a vagrant and careless form of language. It manifests itself mainly orally, and its written structures are considered informal and difficult to achieve with accuracy.

This linguistic variant is also known in Spanish-speaking territories as «caló». The expressions and words considered within this variation usually address offensive, sexual and vulgar themes.

It is a general consideration that its practice is limited to the subjects and the most marginal aspects of a society or culture; however, slang is also adopted during stages by youth.

Unlike jargon, conditioned by professional and closed aspects, the general understanding of slang is much easier for outsiders, unless the language barrier represents a much greater obstacle than expected.

Example

In musical language, such as reggaeton, rap or trap, it is possible to find a large amount of slang vocabulary due to its dubious linguistic formality. Singers like Karol G can make use of her Paisa dialect by adding some of the caló expressions of reggaeton, the genre she sings.

5- Idioms

They are particular forms that are present in the construction of phrases and words. They can be present in both formal and informal statements and speeches.

The use and proliferation of idioms, although it has a general culturally rooted character, is also quite conditioned by the discursive level that a subject may possess.

Idioms are usually present in most languages, and are sometimes used to facilitate or abbreviate the construction of a sentence or a speech, without sacrificing the correct understanding of the message, as long as the interlocutor handles a series of similar codes.

Idioms can represent small symptoms within the more structured variations mentioned above, such as dialect and slang: the more colloquial forms of expression are considered to use a greater number of idioms.

Example

Any language in the world has its own idioms (as they would say in Mexico) or its typical expressions (which they would say in Spain). Does a Spaniard know what it means "the squirrel squeals you"? Probably not, but if you explain it in other words, you will get it right away.

References

1. Cambridge University Press. (sf). Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus. Obtained from Cambridge Dictionary: dictionary.cambridge.org
2. Ducrot, O., & Todorov, T. (1995). Encyclopedic Dictionary of Language Sciences. XXI century.
3. Fernández, FM (1999). LANGUAGES OF SPECIALTY AND LINGUISTIC VARIATION. Languages ​​for specific purposes (VI). Research and Teaching (pp. 3-14). Alcalá de Henares: University of Alcalá.
4. Haugen, E. (1966). Dialect, Language, Nation. American Anthropologist, 922-935.
5. Partridge, E. (2015). Slang: To-Day and Yesterday. New York: Routledge.