DIATYPE

'Diatype' is a term first used by the linguist Michael Gregory to describe a type of language variation which is determined by its 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 language of an academic journal).

'Diatype vs. dialect'

Diatype	Dialect
Defined by ''use''	Defined by ''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.

Contents

References

References

★ Gregory, M. (1967): ''Aspects of Varieties Differentiation'', in: Journal of Linguistics 3, pp. 177-197.