chapter 3: subtopics and terms Flashcards
Language
system of symbols with standard meaning
Symbols
“something used to represent or stand for something else. It can be a physical object, a characteristic or property of objects, a gesture , or a word.”
Coercion
Slur
a derogatory or insulting term applied to particular group of people.
Gendered/ethnoracial/sexual language
language of risk
“ because of continuing fears about condemnation or discrimination, closeted gays and lesbians often develop ways of speaking that camouflage their identities”
Style shifting
sociolinguistics referring to alternation between styles of speech included in a linguistic repertoire of an individual speaker.
code switching
occurs when a speaker alternates between two or more languages, or language varieties, in the context of a single conversation
Hypercorrection
when individuals of a lower or mid social class wish to achieve the next higher level of status, they attempt to talk like members of the next higher class, but take it too far
–> ex saying “it is I” is grammatically incorrect
–> being to proper in dress, lang, behavior
Inversion
Covert prestige
when a individual speaks “lower” value dialect, which recognized as one, but has distinct value in other parts of the social world
Ethnomethodology
– study of common sense meanings of terminology
– a method of sociological analysis that examines how individuals use everyday conversation and gestures to construct a common-sense view of the world
Semantic derogation
the attachment of less valuable characteristics on female or feminine forms and versions of words
Controlling images
portrayal of stereotypes can be considered controlling images in media, social media, video games
linguistic reclamation
“the process by which a maligned group (women, LGBTQ individuals, people of color, the disabled) take a pejorative label that has historically been used to denigrate them and change it into a marker of pride”
