Week 9 - Social networks and communities of practice Flashcards
What are some issues with social class?
- Stereotypes
- Discrepancies, such as educated by not wealthy students
- Women and children rated by husband/father
What does a social network do?
- Enforces norms of behaviour
- How deep we are in the network affects how much we adhere to the norms
- Studies variation between speakers rather than social categories
Who studied social networks?
Names
Dates
Milroy 1980
Cheshire 1982
Labov 1972
Where did Milroy’s study take place?
Details
Ireland
Clonard: Men high unemployment, women working with more social networks, young women high vernacular
Hammer: Population being dispersed, diff. less extreme between sexes
Ballymacarrat: Traditional, men close-knit groups and high vernacular, women less dense
What are the 5 aspects of Milroy’s Network Strength Scale?
Date
2002
- Membership of dense territorial group
- Kinship ties within the neighbourhood
- Same workplace as 2 others in the neighbourhood
- Same workplace as 2 others of same gender
- Voluntary association with workmates outside
Where did Cheshire’s study take place?
Details
Playground in Reading
- Frequency of use of vernacular
- Some non-standard features are universal between the sexes, some mark gender
- Peer group pressure
- Integration = vernacular
Where did Labov’s study take place?
Details
Harlem gangs
- Lames vs rival gangs
- Gangs have similar patterns, AAVE, rivals but share values
- Lames use less vernacular, outsiders
- Investigated -ing, question inversion
What are the effects of strong networks on language variation and change?
- Strong networks maintain non-standard or majority
- Localised forms supported
What are the effects of weak networks on language variation and change?
- Weak networks more susceptible to change
- Innovators have weak ties and link close knit groups to each other
Define communities of practice
Names
Date
Eckert and McConnell-Ginet 2002
- An aggregate of people who come together around a mutual engagement in an endeavour, practices emerge during these endeavour
Why are communities of practice and social networks different?
Name
Date
- Communities of practice get meaning beyond dense networks
- Membership of communities of practice is conscious
Meyerhoff 2002
Who studied high school girls?
Name
Date
Details
Moore 2004
Bolton, UK
- 4 different groups of girls
- Each group used non-standard were differently
Who studied jocks and burnouts?
Name
Date
Details
Eckert 1989
Detroit
- Gender differences within groups
- Men and women establish social status in different ways
- Shared evaluation of norms
- Jocks = school is centre of life
- Burnouts = dismissive, urban area orientated
- Boys are freer than girls
Define drag shift
One sound moves from its original place, and leaves a gap which an existing sound will fill
Define push shift
One sound moves into the territory of another and the original moves away before the two sounds merge into one
Vowel shift study
Name
Date
Labov 1989
Chicago
- Northern cities shift
- ‘Uh’ goes to ‘Oh’ eg Buses sounds like bosses
