Standardization process in Mazandarani language

Subject Areas : Linguistics,dialectology,folklore,literature

mohammad saleh zakeri ¹ (Department of Linguistics, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran)

Received: 2023-06-11 Accepted : 2023-07-30 Published : 2023-08-23

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Abstract :

The process of converting a variety of a language into a standard language is called "standardization" in Sociolinguistics. One of the ways to raise the status and prestige of a language is to create a standard variety in it; So that its existence is considered as one of the criteria for distinguishing a language from a dialect. In this article, we intend to examine the process of reaching a standard in the Mazandarani language; What is the necessity to reach the standard language in Mazandarani language and what are the steps and ways to reach it based on the Norwegian linguist Einar Haugen's point of view. At first, we discussed what is standardization and what are the characteristics of standard language; Then, the necessity of standardizing the Mazandarani language has been raised, which include: the use of the local language on radio and television, the printing of books and newspapers in the Mazandarani language, the use of the Mazandarani language in cyberspace and social media, and the teaching of the Mazandarani language at schools and universities; In the end, the status of Mazandarani language in terms of standardization has been explained in four stages: selection of standard variety, codification, elaboration of it's function and finally it's acceptance by the society.