Read the passage below. Fill in the blank with the transition word or phrase that most logically connects the ideas.
Answer:In sociolinguistics, the prestige effect refers to the phenomenon where speakers adopt the dialect of a dominant social group to gain social status. In many urban centers, younger generations are increasingly abandoning local colloquialisms in favor of speech patterns popularized by national media. 【Consequently】, regional dialects are rapidly fading, replaced by a standardized vernacular.
Answer
A transition word or phrase indicating cause and effect (such as 'Consequently', 'Therefore', 'Thus', or 'As a result') must be used to show that the decline of regional dialects is the direct outcome of younger generations adopting media-driven speech patterns.
A cause-and-effect transition (such as 'consequently' or 'therefore') is correct because the second sentence describes the direct result of the trend detailed in the first sentence (younger generations abandoning local colloquialisms in favor of speech patterns popularized by national media leads to the rapid fading of regional dialects).
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Transitions signaling cause-and-effect relationships connect an event or condition with its direct consequence.