common core

A term used in some SOCIOLINGUISTIC and STYLISTIC studies, referring to the range of linguistic features found in all VARIETIES, DIALECTS, etc., of a language. Common core features of a language would include its basic rules of WORD-ORDER and WORD-FORMATION, and its high-frequency vocabulary. A usage such as thou in English, for example, would not be part of the English common core, as it is restricted to certain dialects and religious CONTEXTS. However, it is by no means clear just how many features in a language can be legitimately called ‘common’ in this way, and the notion is especially difficult to apply in relation to certain areas, such as the VOWEL system.