An idiolect is a specific language variant that is used by one person. Language can be expressed through unusual wording of sentences or pronunciation. Also, an idiolect in linguistics is made up of individual winged phrases or idioms that a person invents himself or remakes well-known in his own way.
General information
Any person has his own idilect, different from others. And this does not apply to any made-up words. Namely, those whose significance no one knows. An idiolect is a special sentence construction that is distinct from other pronunciation of words. This concept in the process of its development can become a dialect, that is, such a construction of speech will be acceptable for family members and friends.
Often an idiolect is used in legal proceedings. This is necessary in order to understand whether the submitted text or its decryption really belongs to a specific person. For example, Derek Bentley’s confession was different from his usual idiol, and that’s why the deepest apologies were sent posthumously to him.
This process is sometimes invisible in the flow of speech. But it also happens when frequently used phrases are attributed to famous people as a nickname.
Is an idiolect a component of any language?
Everyone looks at the appearance of an idiolect from a different angle. Therefore, it is believed that the concept appeared on the basis of some linguistic ideas recognized by the standard. There is also a judgment that language itself consists of a set of idiollects, they simply change due to the individual qualities of people.
Consistent with these ideas, many scholars have suggested that the truth is somewhere in between. Despite this, language analysis is performed using only two points of view. There can be no talk of any middle ground or just one of the two representations. In truth, for many scientists, the first assumption is familiar.
The second idea of an idiolect is a necessary basis for analyzing the evolutionary processes of a language, its genesis. There is a specially designed model for this - the existence of a particular language continues due to the presence of many idiollects in it, which have a number of common features. The general evolution of a language is determined by the fact that its components undergo a modification process. According to their properties, idiolects can contact other similar ones, which is why they change.
Situation today
At present, there is no exact point of view on this concept, and a general theory of communication has not yet appeared, which would include a section with idiolects. Despite this, this term is popular, as it is actively used by each person at an unconscious level. In linguistics, an idiolect is a fundamental concept for analyzing a language.