Sociolinguistics Flashcards
Sociolinguistics
The relationship between language use and the social world
Standard English
A supra-regional variety of English
Diachronic
Describes variation over time
Synchronic
Describes variation now
Variety
Refers to regional, social ot historical differences in language use
Accent
refers to variation at the level of pronunciations
Dialect
refers to distinct features at the levels of syntax, morphology, vocabulary and pronunciation
Style shifting
A variation in an individual’s speech depending on context
What are three possible reasons for style shifting (designs)?
Task design
Audience design
Speaker design
Task design
Level of attention to speech, based on nature of task
Audience design
Motivated by audience, attuning to norms of different addresses
Speaker design
Motivated by the speakers expression of identity
Overt prestige
Speakers perceive a variant to be better (not necessarily the standard variant)
Covert prestige
Norm/target that speakers orient to without the speakers even being aware that their are orienting to it
Narrative structure by who and when?
Labov and waletzky, 1967
Narrative structure
Abstract
Orientation
Complication
Evaluation
Resolution
Coda
Abstract (narrative)
Essence of story, what is it going to be about
Orientation (narrative)
Introduction of the situation, setting, participants
Complication (narrative)
events, the story what then
Evaluation (narrative)
speakers assessment of the story, so what
Resolution (narrative)
solution, end of story
Coda (narrative)
Bridge gap between story and present time
