Sociolinguistics Flashcards
Variationist Sociolinguistics
Measures the and explains structured variation as a function of
- linguistic factors
- social factors
- time
- place
Structured variation
There are many linguistic features that can be produced in more than one way (ex. all variables)
Variable
Different ways of saying the same thing
Variant
The different ways
Linguistic factors
Voicing, position, etc.
Categorical rules
Assumed to apply every time a particular environment is found
Probabilistic Constraints
More or less likely to apply
Intra-speaker variation
Some variation within individual speakers
Inter-speaker variation
How speech varies according to speakers’ social characteristics
Method: Variationist Sociolinguistics
- Find the speech community
- Collect data
- Analyze the data
Apparent time hypothesis
You can see change happening by looking at the difference b/n young and old speakers. A person’s grammar doesn’t change much in adulthood.
Dialectology
The study of regional differences in language
What is the oldest branch of sociolinguistics?
Dialectology
Isoglosseses
Boundary lines
Isolation
Causes preservation of older ways of speaking
Types of linguistics isolation
Physical, linguistic (from other speakers) , social (cultures and attitudes)
Shibboleth
Pronunciation of a single word becomes a stereotype
Dense social networks >
less apt to linguistic change
What is sociolinguistics?
The study of the relationship between society and language.
Speech Community
Shared sociolinguistic norms
Markers
Social meanings in the speech community commented on
Indicators
Generally not noticed in the speech community, but systematically correlate w/ social characteristics
Dialect
different versions of a language
T or F: To linguists, there is a firm dialect/language division
False
Accents
Differences in pronunciation among groups of people
Types of Linguistic Variables
Phonological, Morphological, Syntactic
Time
Languages are constantly changing. Sociolinguistics focuses on the changes that are currently in progress.
Diachronic Change
Change over time in the language
Synchronic Change
Variation in the speech community at a single point in time
Basic Sources of Dialect Differences
Geographic separation
Social separation
Dialect Levelling
Dialects in contact mix into a new dialect
The standard
The prestige dialect associated with the dominant political/social group
Dialect vs. Language
Two different languages: speakers can no longer understand each other
Regional dialects
Geographically based dialects
accent continuum example
Canadian raising
social dialects
dialects associated with different social groups/classes
prescriptivism
Telling people how to talks
Descriptivism
Understanding how people actually do talk and recognizing change as a natural part of any language
Register
The way an individual speaks
Formality Scale
High formality: formal
Low formality: informal
Solidarity Scale
Relationship between participants
high solidarity: intimate
low solidarity: unfamiliar
Root of dialect biases
social biases against people who speak a given dialect
Covert prestige
non-standard varieties enjoy covert prestige among their speakers
African American English (AAE)
regular rule-governed changes that can be phonological, morphological, and syntactic
Code-switching
bilinguals get together and use two or more languages to communicate
matrix language
a single language that dominates
pidgin
a language stripped down to its essentials
lexifier language
the language that supplies the basic wordstock for a pidgin
creole
a full-fledged language developed from a pidgin
mixed language
heavy switching becomes the norm
