Lecture Eight

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• Lecture Eight
• Language and Society

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• Introduction
• Definitions
• Sociolinguistics Sociolinguistics is the
  sub-field of linguistics that studies the
  relation between language and society, between
  the uses of language and the social structures in
  which the users of language live. (Dai and He,
  2002, p. 111)
• Sociolinguistics is the field that studies the
  relation between language and society, between
  the uses of language and the social structures in
  which the users of language live. It is a field
  of study that assumes that human society is made
  up of many related patterns and behaviours, some
  of which are linguistic. (Spolsky, 2000, p. 3)
• Sociolinguistics the study of linguistic
  behavior as determined by sociocultural factors.
• (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
• http//www.m-w.com/cgi-
• bin/dictionary?bookDictionaryvasociol
  inguistics)

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• The study of language and linguistic behavior as
  influenced by social and cultural factors.
  (http//dictionary.reference.com/search?qsociolin
  guistics)
• Sociolinguistics is the study of the effect of
  any and all aspects of society, including
  cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the
  way language is used.
• (Wikipedia http//www.answers.com/topic/sociol
  inguistics)

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• Language and society
• Social factors must be included in description of
  language and language use.
• Language is not only used to communicate meaning,
  but also maintain social relationships.
• What and how we speak may reflect ourselves.
• Lexicon reflects both physical and the social
  environments of a society.
• Judgments on language may vary among linguists
  and ordinary people.

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• Speech community and speech variety
• General linguists and sociolinguists look at
  speech community differently. In a speech
  community there are different kinds of social
  groups which are divided in different ways
  (educational background, occupation, gender, age,
  ethnic affiliation)
• Speech variety any distinguishable form of
  speech used by a speaker or a group of speaker.
  (three types regional dialects, sociolects,
  registers)

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• Varieties of language
• Dialectal varieties
• Regional dialect
• Geographical barriers loyalty to ones native
  speech, physical and psychological resistance to
  change
• Media, transport and young peoples values may
  reduce the difference between varieties.

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• Sociolect
• Social dialect has to do with separation
  brought about by different social conditions.
  Differences in sociolects can be reflected in
  pronunciation, grammar and others
• Pronunciation n for ? RP (Received
  Pronunciation)
• Grammar third-person present-tense singular form
  of verbs double negation
• Others (maybe combined)
• Speaker A Speaker B
• I did it yesterday. I done it yesterday.
• He hasnt got it. He aint got it.
• It was she that said it. It was her what said
  it.

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• Language and gender
• Difference in pronunciation. (women are more
  status-conscious than men)
• Difference in intonation (female speakers have a
  wider range in intonation)
• Difference in lexicon (some adjectives used more
  frequently by female)
• Women are more polite and milder
• Language and age
• The difference may come from the changing of
  society, social attitudes and value judgments.

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• Idiolect
• A persons dialect of an individual speaker.
  (factors region, social status, gender, age
  reflected in voice quality, pitch, speech tempo,
  rhythm)
• Ethnic dialect
• May be caused by racial discrimination or
  segregation.
• Black English is just another non-standard
  variety of English.
• Difference between black English and standard
  English in pronunciation and syntax.
• Passed p?s, mend men, desk des, told
  t??l
• He dont know nothing. (He doesnt know
  anything.)
• I aint afraid of no ghosts. (Im not afraid of
  ghosts.)

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• Register
• The type of language which is selected as
  appropriate to the type of situation.
• Field (??) refer to what is going on, subject
  matter of communication
• Tenor (??) refer to the role of relationship
  between the communicators
• Mode (??) refer to the means of communication
  (oral or written (read or spoken))
• e.g. a lecture on biology in a technical
  college
• Field scientific (biological)
• Tenor teacher students (formal, polite)
• Mode oral (academic lecturing)

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• Degree of formality
• Martin Jooss five degrees of formality
• Frozen Visitors would make their way at once to
  the upper floor by way of the staircase.
• Formal Visitors should to up the stairs at once
• Consultative Would you mind going upstairs right
  away, please?
• Casual Time you al went upstairs now.
• Intimate Up you go, chap!

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• Different styles can be characterized through
  differences at three levels syntactic, lexical
  and phonological.
• In syntax (see p. 121)
• In lexicon
• More formal Less formal
• Offspring children
• decease die
• peruse read
• reply answer
• participate in take part in
• encounter come across
• tolerate put up with
• In address forms (Sir, Mr. Smith, Professor
  Smith, Smith, Frederick, Fred, Mate, Uncle, Fred,
  Dad)

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• Standard dialect
• The standard variety is a superimposed, socially
  prestigious dialect of a language.
• It is based on a selected variety, the local
  speech of an area considered the nations
  political and cultural center.
• It is superimposed from the upper level of the
  society over the range of regional dialects. It
  is officially standardized.

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• Pidgin and Creole
• A pidgin is a special language variety that mixes
  or blends languages and it is used by people who
  speak different languages for restricted purposes
  such as trading.
• Formed by combining a European language and local
  one
• Limited vocabulary and very reduce grammatical
  structure
• Pidgin may be extended to Creole

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• Bilingualism and diglossia
• Two languages are used side by side with each
  having a different role to play
• Robins five variables concerning the
  usage
• Location of the interaction
• Formality-informality of the interaction
• Degree of intimacy of the speakers
• Degree of seriousness of the discourse
• Sex of the participants
• Bilingualism occurs in areas where there are
  immigrants or children of immigrants
• Diglossia (???) two varieties of a language
  exist side by side throughout the community with
  each having a definite role to play. Each variety
  is the appropriate language for certain
  situations with very slight overlapping.

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• Task
• Do the following as written exercise
• 2. Explain with an example that the evaluation
  of language is social rather than linguistic.
• References
• Dai, W. D He, Z. X. (2002). A new concise
  course on linguistics for students of English.
  Shanghai Shanghai Foreign Language Education
  Press.
• Spolsky, B. (2000). Sociolinguistics. Shanghai
  Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press
• Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
  http//www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?bookDiction
  aryvasociolinguistics
• http//dictionary.reference.com/search?qsocioling
  uistics
• Wikipedia http//www.answers.com/topic/sociolingu
  istics

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