L23B: Sociolinguistics 2005-2006

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L23B Sociolinguistics 2005-2006

• Lecturer Emmogene Budhai-Alvaranga

Please Turn off all cellular phones pagers
L23B Website www.mona.uwi.edu/dllp/courses/l23b
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Objectives of the Session

• Review some important concepts
• Overview of Communication
• Readings Downes Hymes

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What is sociolinguistics?

• As defined by CJ (1997)
• the study of language in its social context and
  the study of social life through linguistics

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Sociolinguistics Is it
relevant?

• (Downes)
• language includes not just grammar but also
  social process
• features of language linked to social aspects

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Arbitrariness is a social phenomenon

• label/lexical items/expressions dependent on our
  philosophies/culture

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Variability requires social explanation

• For example (taken from Downes)
• butter - meaning (edible, yellow, diary
  product)
• - syntactic use noun a the sub/obj
• But different phonetic realizations
• RP b???
• Canadian/American budder b?d?r
• British English/Cockney b???r
• (working class)

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Sociolinguistics

• Allows us to
• Combine theoretical discoveries with social
  investigations
• Concentrate on performance

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Relevance of Sociolinguistics (Hymes)

• linguistic theory as a wholistic theory of
  language entailing the organization of speech and
  not just grammar.
• Speech communities as organizations of ways of
  speaking not just the distribution of the grammar
  of a language

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Downes (Film 1961)

• Doreen She got married yesterday. She
• looked ever so nice
• Arthur What was the bloke like, could yer
• smell the drink? He must have
  
• been drunk to get married.
• What did she want to convey?
•   make a statement
• request for action
• suggestion
• broach the topic
•    

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Analyzing Conversation

• Points to consider

1. Context 2. Several Interpretations
possible 3.  Intentions may be
incorrect   4. Speaker can deny 5.  Vague
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Interaction student to teacher at end of term

• Will you be teaching another course in this
  programme?

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Politeness

• Salt!
• Pass the Salt!
• Would you mind passing the salt please?
• I think this food could use a little salt.
• This meal is marvelous! Just a pinch
• of salt and it would be perfect.

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Components of Communication

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• Linguistic Knowledge
• Interaction Skills
• Cultural Knowledge

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Linguistic Knowledge

•  verbal elements
• non-verbal elements
• patterning of elements
• range of possible variants
• meaning of variants

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Interaction Skills

• selection of forms
• interpretation of forms
• discourse organization and processes
• norms of interaction and interpretation
• strategies for achieving goals  

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Cultural Knowledge

• social structure
• values and attitudes

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Communicative Competence

• underlying systems of knowledge and skill
  required for communication

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Factors Influencing Selection of Variety/Code

• Speaker/Receiver
• Competence
• Situation
• Topic  
• Channel  
• Tone

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Questions????