Editing Sociolinguistics (section)

=== High-prestige and low-prestige varieties ===
{{main|Prestige (sociolinguistics)}}

Crucial to sociolinguistic analysis is the concept of [[prestige (sociolinguistics)|prestige]]; certain speech habits are assigned a positive or a negative value, which is then applied to the speaker. This can operate on many levels. It can be realized on the level of the individual sound/phoneme, as Labov discovered in investigating pronunciation of the post-vocalic /r/ in the Northeastern United States, or on the macro scale of language choice, as is realized in the various [[diglossia]] that exist throughout the world, with the one between Swiss German and High German being perhaps most well known. An important implication of the sociolinguistic theory is that speakers 'choose' a variety when making a speech act, whether consciously or subconsciously.

The terms acrolectal (high) and basilectal (low) are also used to distinguish between a more standard dialect and a dialect of less prestige.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aPk_BAAAQBAJ&q=dictionary+of+psychology|title=A Dictionary of Psychology|last=Colman|first=Andrew M.|date=2009-02-26|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=9780191047688|language=en}}</ref>

It is generally assumed that non-standard language is low-prestige language. However, in certain groups, such as traditional working-class neighborhoods, standard language may be considered undesirable in many contexts because the working-class dialect is generally considered a powerful in-group marker. Historically, humans tend to favor those who look and sound like them, and the use of nonstandard varieties (even exaggeratedly so) expresses neighborhood pride and group and class solidarity. The desirable social value associated with the use of non-standard language is known as [[covert prestige]]. There will thus be a considerable difference in use of non-standard varieties when going to the pub or having a neighborhood barbecue compared to going to the bank. One is a relaxed setting, likely with familiar people, and the other has a business aspect to it in which one feels the need to be more professional.