språkdräkt

Språkdräkt, literally “language dress,” is a metaphor used in sociolinguistics to describe how speakers select linguistic features to fit a social situation, audience, or desired identity. The idea treats language as something that can be put on and taken off, like clothing, to signal belonging, status, or intent. It encompasses variation in formality, vocabulary, pronunciation, syntax, and even language or dialect switching.

In practice, a speaker may adopt a formal “dress” in settings such as interviews or professional meetings, characterized by clear enunciation, standard grammar, and use of professional jargon. In casual contexts, the same speaker might choose a more relaxed “dress,” including regional dialect features, slang, or colloquialisms. The concept emphasizes that language choices are purposive and indexical, signaling affiliation with particular groups or aligning with social norms beyond the literal meaning of utterances.

Språkdräkt is closely related to concepts such as style-shifting, sociolinguistic repertoire, and code-switching. It helps explain how individuals vary their language across contexts—by age, gender, socioeconomic background, education, ethnicity, or national identity—and how such variation contributes to identity construction and social meaning.

Notes: The term is more common in Scandinavian discussions and may not be widely used as a formal label in all linguistic traditions. Researchers often prefer terms like register, style, repertoire, or code-switching depending on the theoretical framework.

See also: sociolinguistics, language style, repertoire, code-switching, register, language ideology.