Sociolinguistics

Question 1

Define sociolinguistics

Answer 1

The study of language in relation to its social context

Started in 1960s / 1970s

Question 2

William Labov

Answer 2

Department store study (1972)

“Social Stratification of /r/”

Goal was to investigate influence socioeconomic class has in dialect

Took place in Saks, Macy’s and S. Klein

Question 3

What does sociolinguistics focus on?

Answer 3

Focuses on variables like social class, gender, social groups, ethnicity etc.

Functioning of language

Question 4

Speech Community

Answer 4

People in the same group who share a variety or dialect

Eg. Saskatchewan, an area of town etc.

Question 5

Major types of language variation

Answer 5

Regional, social and ethnic

Types can be interrelated

Question 6

Macro-level analysis

Answer 6

Large social groups

National languages, regional dialects, sociolects, ethnolects

Question 7

Micro-level analysis

Answer 7

Small social groups

Schools, churches, friend groups etc.

Question 8

National language

Answer 8

Language(s) that represent the identity of the speakers within a nation

National languages are always official

Question 9

Official language

Answer 9

Language(s) that are used for official governmental purposes & schools

Official languages aren’t always national

Question 10

Transnational languages

Answer 10

Languages spoken in multiple countries

Caused by colonization, migration etc.

Question 11

Variables that cause changes in languages

Answer 11

Geography

Political status

Question 12

What is a language variety

Answer 12

Different versions of the same language

Eg. American English, Canadian English, British English etc.

Question 13

Standard language variety

Answer 13

Taught in schools, promoted by government, used by mass media etc.

Regional dialect of national capitals

Question 14

Vernaculars

Answer 14

Language varieties that have no prestige in society

Not codafied, substandard

Eg. Ethnolects, local dialects, low class sociolects

Question 15

Canadian raising

Answer 15

Best know unique feature of Canadian English

Dipthongs begin higher than in other varieties of English

Question 16

Back vowel merger

Answer 16

Phonological characteristic of Canadian English

Vowel in cot, caught, and cart all the same vowel

Question 17

/u/ Fronting

Answer 17

Found in prairies

Eg. Fronted /u/ in moon, Saskatoon etc.

Question 18

Syntactic features of Canadian English

Answer 18

“As well” sentence initial

Participial form as main verb

Canada as post nominal modifier

Question 19

Intra-Speaker Variation

Answer 19

Variation within speech of an individual

Question 20

Inter-speaker variation

Answer 20

Variation across a group of speakers

Question 21

Dialect

Answer 21

Language variety that has differences on more than one linguistic level compared to other varieties of the same language

Spoken by identifiable groups

Eg. Newfoundland dialect, Saskatchewan dialect

Question 22

Regional dialect

Answer 22

Language differences across regions within one country

Question 23

Social dialect

Answer 23

Language differences across social groups

Question 24

Accents

Answer 24

Only difference in on a phonological level

Question 25

Difference between accent and dialect

Answer 25

Accents have only phonological differences

Dialects have phonological, lexical and syntactic differences

Question 26

Characteristics of Michif language

Answer 26

Mix between Metis French and Cree (Algonquian)

Made by descendants of French fur traders and Cree women

Considered an ethnolect

Question 27

Identifying a social class

Answer 27

Factors: education, professional training, occupation, blue/white collar work, salary, gender, race, ethnicity, age, residential area etc.

Question 28

Common divisions of social class

Answer 28

Lower, middle and upper class

Additional divisions: lower-middle class, upper-middle class, etc.

Question 29

Define sociolect

Answer 29

Dialect spoken by a social class, or social group