Sociolinguistics

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Sociolinguistics

• Sociolinguistics is the study of the interplay
  of linguistic, social, and cultural factor in
  human communication

Wolfson, Nessa. Perspectives Sociolinguistics
and TESOL. Boston Heinle Heinle Publishers,
1989, p. 1.
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Abbreviated Outline of Fromkin et al., Chapter
10 Language in Society 1

• ? Dialects
• ? Accents
• ? Dialects of English
• ? Phonological Differences
• ? Lexical Differences
• ? Syntactic Differences
• ? Standard Language

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2003. An Introduction to Language, seventh
edition. Boston Thomson Wadsworth.
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Abbreviated Outline of Fromkin et al., Chapter
10 Language in Society 2

• ? Banned Languages
• ? Revival of Languages
• ? African American English
• ? Pidgins and Creoles
• ? Styles, Slang, and Jargon
• ? Taboo Language
• ? Language and Gender

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2003. An Introduction to Language, seventh
edition. Boston Thomson Wadsworth.
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Why are you interested in TESOL?

• A fascination with the sociocultural aspects of
  language behavior, and the opportunity to
  interact with people from cultures other than
  ones own, often serve as an initial attraction
  to the field of TESOL.

Wolfson, Nessa. Perspectives Sociolinguistics
and TESOL. Boston Heinle Heinle Publishers,
1989, pp. 1-2.
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Communicative Competence

• the ability of native speakers to use the
  resources of their language(s) in ways that are
  not only linguistically accurate but also
  socially appropriate.

Wolfson, Nessa. Perspectives Sociolinguistics
and TESOL. Boston Heinle Heinle Publishers,
1989, p. 3.
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Components of Communicative Competence

• 1. Grammatical competence
• 2. Discourse competence
• 3. Sociolinguistic competence
• 4. Strategic competence

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Appropriate Use of Language in a Given Context

• 1. What is a polite / appropriate thing to say
• at a funeral?
• 2. How do you address someone you have
• just met?
• 3. What words should you use to make a
• polite request?
• 4. What is an acceptable way to decline an
• invitation?
• 5. Why is it not a good idea to say ??
• when visiting at a hospital in Taiwan?

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Techniques for Investigating Language Use

• ? Introspectionlook at what WE know about our
  own language
• ? OBSERVE language being used by others in
  natural contexts.
• ? Controlled experiments / Elicitation techniques
• ? READ ABOUT IT in some reference book or some
  journal where someone has done research about it.

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Labov's "Department Store" Study on Post-vocalic
/ r/

• 3 levels of department stores (rich, middle
  class, lower class)
• He asked store clerks Where are the XXXs?
  (shoes, for example). (He had visited the store
  beforehand and already knew that every item he
  asked for would be on the FOURTH FLOOR in that
  store.)

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Dell Hymes Ethnography of Speaking Paradigm 1

• 1. Setting Act Situation
• 2. Scene
• 3. Speaker Participants
• 4. Addressor
• 5. Hearer
• 6. Addressee
• 7. Purposes/Outcomes Ends
• 8. Goals

Wolfson, Nessa. Perspectives Sociolinguistics
and TESOL. Boston Heinle Heinle Publishers,
1989, pp. 7-9. (From Hymes, 1972)
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Dell Hymes Ethnography of Speaking Paradigm 2

• 9. Message Form Act Sequence
• 10. Message Content
• 11. Keys Key
• 12. Channels Instrumentalities
• 13. Forms of Speech
• 14 Norms of Interaction Norms
• 15. Norms of Interpretation
• 16. Genres Genres

Wolfson, Nessa. Perspectives Sociolinguistics
and TESOL. Boston Heinle Heinle Publishers,
1989, pp. 7-9. (From Hymes, 1972)
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Goals of Sociolinguistics

• 1. Identify the Linguistic Variable
• 2. Identify the Social Variable
• 3. Identify what Social Variable the Linguistic
  Variable correlates with
• 4. Understand why. How can we EXPLAIN this?

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Range of Linguistic Variations

• ? Phonology
• ? Syntax (Grammar)
• ? Vocabulary
• ? Morphology
• ? Pragmatics
• ? OTHERS

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Range of Social Variations

• ? SPEAKING model items / factors
• ? Other lists of factors
• (e.g., Question Words)

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