Sociolinguistics

Question 1

Dimensions of speech variation:
- diachronic vs. synchronic
- regional, social (dialectology = variation)

Question 2

• Variety
• Dialect
• Accent

Question 3

Social dialectology:
- Martha’s Vineyard study

Question 4

Style shifting: New York City social dialect surveys, including:
- sociolinguistic interview study &
- rapid anonymous survey

Question 5

Norms:
- Variation
- overtand covertand prestige

Question 6

Language policy
(language management, language practice, language ideology)

Question 7

Define term:
“the definition of discourse (central aspects)”

Answer 7

• Goes beyond the sentence level.
• is language in action (saying, doing, being)
• is language in context (meaning depends on context)
• represents worldviews and conventions.

Question 8

Define: “the concept of style shifting.”

Question 9

intertextuality

Answer 9

The practice of integrating content from source texts into one’s own writing, involving skills like summarizing, paraphrasing, and developing authorial identity.

Question 11

True or False?
a) “In sociolinguistics, an accent is a variety of a language with distinct features in syntax, morphology, vocabulary and pronunciation.”

Answer 11

False

Question 12

True or False?
b) “In sociolinguistics, synchronic change is a variation occurring over time.”

Answer 12

False

Question 13

True or False?
c) “In sociolinguistics, one component of the concept of language policy is language Ideology.”

Answer 13

True

Question 14

True or False?
d) “In discourse analysis, genre relates only to written discourse.”

Answer 14

False

Question 15

True or False?
e) “Discourse can be understood as a particular way of representing the world.”

Answer 15

True

Question 16

Define:
1. Abstract
2. Orientation
3. Complication (events, the story)
4. Evaluation (speaker’s assessment of story; can appear at any point in the narrative)
5. Resolution (end of story, solution)
6. Coda (return to setting of the conversation)

Answer 16

• Abstract = (essence of story; what is it going to be about)
• Orientation = (introduction of situation, setting, participants)
• Complication = (events, the story)
• Evaluation = (speaker’s assessment of story; can appear at any point in the narrative)
• Resolution = (end of story, solution)
• Coda = (return to setting of the conversation)