Social Groups Flashcards
Define social group
Any society is not just a collection of isolated individuals. People connect with others and those connections can be on many different bases.
Define idiolect.
Own individual language style.
Define sociolect
Language style associated with a social group.
Swales: discourse communities
Swales defines it as member who:
Have a shared set of common goals,
Use specialist vocabulary and discourse to provide information and feedback,
Communicate internally.
What’s a discourse community?
A group of people engaged in similar activities, usually work based or around a specialist interest, who use language in distinct ways.
CofPs: Lave and Wenger
About the ways groups do things, the way they talk, their beliefs and values and relationships between members.
3 crucial strands:
-Shared repertoire
-Mutual engagement
-Joint negotiated enterprise
Football supporters who are referred to as 12th man.
Jocks and Burnouts: Eckert
Observed 2 different groups
The jocks who are actively engaged in and enjoy school life.
The burnouts who chose nkt to be involved in it interact with school and have rebellious behaviour.
Jocks and burnouts findings
People tend to speak more like there friends.
Jocks are a school oriented CofP with middle class culture.
Burnouts are a locally oriented CofP and have working class culture.
Labov: social stratification of English in NYC
Use of post vocalic /R/ in New York department stores.
In words such as “cart” and “park” - seen as higher status.
Kliens (WC) used it least
Maceys (MC) not overly used unless asked to repeat.
Saks (UC) used it the most.
Valley speak.
Sociolect associated with valley girls in the San Fernando Valley in 1980s.
Use qualifiers interjected into middle of phrases (like, whatever and totally)
Use uptalk.
