Why Might Lower-Class Speakers Continue to Use Styles of Language

question 35

Multiple Choice

Why might lower-class speakers continue to use styles of language that are stigmatized?

• A) Styles of speech serve as a marker for membership into a group.
• B) They do not have the appropriate education to adopt upper-class patterns of language.
• C) They have never been exposed to standardized language, and so do not know that their speech is non-standard.
• D) Styles of speech are inherited, and cannot be changed by individuals.

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Definitions:

Price Stability

An economic condition in which prices remain largely stable, without rapid inflation or deflation.

Maximum Employment

A situation in which all available labor resources are being used in the most economically efficient way, one of the goals of economic policy.

Quantity Theory of Money

This economic theory posits that the general price level of goods and services is directly proportional to the amount of money in circulation.

Velocity of Money

The rate at which money circulates in the economy, typically measured as the ratio of GDP to the money supply.