Chapter 1-
Introduction to
Language,
Culture and
Society
Arriane Kris M. Pascua
Instructor
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At the end of the chapter, students are
expected to:
1. State the meaning of Language, Culture,
and Society (Sociolinguistics)
Learning 2. Examine the various perceptions of
sociolinguistics
Outcomes 3. Explain the social function of language;
and
4. Discuss the relationship of language to
geographical, ethnic and national
identity.
Language, Culture, and Society
▪Language - system of
symbols that enables
communication among
people.
▪Culture - way of life, may be
manifested through
materials, beliefs or
practices.
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Lesson A: What is Sociolinguistics?
Language + Society = Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics is the study of the
sociological aspects of language.
Sociolinguistics studies the
relationship between language
and society.
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What does
Sociolinguists do?
Sociolinguists are interested in
how we speak differently in
varying social contexts, and how
we may also use specific
functions of language to convey
social meaning or aspects of our
identity.
Sociolinguistics teaches us
about real-life attitudes and social
situations.
Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics Effect of society on language
and Sociology of
Language Sociology of Language
Effect of language on society
Field Main Question Philippine Example
Filipino as a national
How does language
Sociology of Language language helps build
affect society?
national identity.
A student switches
How does society affect
between English, Filipino,
Sociolinguistics the way people use
and Ilocano depending on
language?
who they are talking to.
Sociolinguistics is a developing branch of linguistics and
sociology which investigates the individual and social variation of
language.
Regional variation of
language gives a lot of
information about the place a
speaker is from.
(Example: British English versus
American English)
Social variation of
language is about the roles
performed by a speaker within
one community, or country.
(Lower class versus higher class
language)
Regional Variation of Language Examples:
Chinese
Two dollar onny, this one.
Standard American English
This one is two dollars only.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Singapore English
Wah! So expensive one, cannot leh!
Standard American English
Oh! That one is expensive! I cannot buy that one.
Code-Switching (Taglish): Among middle to upper-class Filipinos, there
is a tendency to switch between English and Filipino within a single
conversation, a practice known as "Taglish." This is often seen as a
marker of modernity or education.
Social Regional Accents and Dialects: In contrast, those from lower social
classes, especially in rural areas, might speak in a regional dialect or a
Variation of version of Filipino with a distinct accent. These dialects can sometimes
be stigmatized or considered less prestigious.
Language
Examples: Language and Occupation: The language used by professionals (e.g.,
lawyers, doctors, corporate workers) is often more formal and heavily
influenced by English. In contrast, workers in more manual or informal
sectors might use more vernacular languages or regional dialects.
Educational Influence: Higher education levels often correlate with
greater fluency in English, which is associated with higher social
status. In contrast, those with less formal education might be more
comfortable using Filipino or their regional language.
Factors Influencing the
Way People Speak
1. Social Class is the position of the speaker in the
society, measured by the level of education, parental background,
profession and their effect on syntax and lexis used by the speaker.
(e.g., the social class of speakers influences their way of
formulating sentences)
Sociologists suggest five groups in social class:
Upper Class
Upper Middle Class
Lower Middle Class
Working Class
Poor
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Poor /
Upper Middle Lower Middle Working Economically
Situation Upper Class
Class Class Class Disadvantage
d
"Could you
"Can I pay "Kasya po ba
At the charge this to my "Pwede pong "Cash lang
using my ang ₱200
grocery membership GCash?" po."
credit card?" dito?"
account?"
Talking "Let's meet at the "Tara, "Tara,
"Let's grab "Tara, kain
to café this magkape tambay
coffee later." tayo."
friends afternoon." tayo." muna."
Uses English Uses basic Uses mostly
Frequently uses
Using comfortably in Mixes English English Filipino or
English in formal
English work or and Filipino. when the local
conversations.
school. needed. language.
Factors Influencing the Way
People Speak
2. Social Context is the register of the language
used depending on changing situations: formal language in
formal meetings and informal usage during meetings with
friends.
Convergence is the process of adapting other’s language to
reduce social distance.
Divergence is the process of emphasizing the social
distance using idiosyncratic forms.
Example:
Convergence:
• A Filipino speaker of Cebuano, when talking to a Tagalog speaker in
Manila, might switch to Tagalog or use more Tagalog words and phrases to
make the conversation smoother and to reduce social distance. This is an
example of convergence, where the Cebuano speaker adapts his/ her
language to align with the language of the Tagalog speaker.
Divergence:
• Conversely, if the same Cebuano speaker were in a group where most
people spoke Tagalog, but he/ she chose to continue speaking in Cebuano,
perhaps to emphasize his/ her regional identity or to signal that he/ she is
proud of his/ her heritage, this would be an example of divergence. The
speaker is maintaining or even emphasizing social distance by sticking to
their native language or dialect.
Factors Influencing the
Way People Speak
3. Geographical Origins refer to the slight
differences in pronunciation between speakers that
point at the geographical region which the speaker
comes from.
▪ Dialect describes a variety of language that
differs in grammar, lexis and pronunciation from
others.
▪ Idiolect is an individual personal variation of
language use (each has a unique way of
speaking due to life experience, education, age,
and aspiration).
Examples of Tagalog Dialects:
Ethnologue identifies the following dialects of Tagalog:
• Bataan
• Batangas
• Bulacan
• Manila (the educated dialect of Manila serves as a basis for
Filipino, the national language of the country)
• Tayabas
Dialects
Cebuano varies
Tagalog has
across the Visayas
regional variations,
and Mindanao,
such as Batangas
with distinct
Tagalog, known for
dialects like
its distinct accent
Boholano and
and vocabulary.
Davaoeño.
Ilocano has Bikol is divided
dialectal into several
differences dialects, such as
between Northern Central Bikol,
and Southern Rinconada, and
Ilocano. Albay Bikolano.
Factors Influencing the
Way People Speak
4. Ethnicity refers to differences between the use of a given
language by its native speakers and other ethnic groups.
African- American Vernacular English
He don’t know nothing.
Standard American English
He doesn’t know anything.
Ybanag
Yari na tulay.
Tagalog
Yari na ang tulay?
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Factors Influencing the Way People Speak
5. Nationality It can influence the way a person speaks
because people from different countries may have different
languages, accents, pronunciation, vocabulary,
expressions, and communication styles.
Example:
Filipino: “Please open the light.”
Native English speaker: “Please turn on the light.”
Factors Influencing the
Way People Speak
6. Gender shows differences in patterns of
language use between men and women, such as
quantity of speech, intonation patterns.
7. Age refers to the influence of age of the
speaker on the use of vocabulary and grammar
complexity.
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Factors Influencing the
Way People Speak
Jargon is a specific technical vocabulary
associated with a particular field of interest, or
topic.
Slang refers to a type of language used most
frequently by people from outside of high-status
groups, characterized by the use of unusual
words and phrases instead of conventional
forms.
Code switching is the use of different varieties
of language in different social situations.
Example of Idiolect
Imagine a person named Maria, who grew up in Cebu but moved to Manila for
college. Maria’s idiolect might include:
• Vocabulary: Maria might use some Cebuano words when speaking Filipino or
English, like "kaon" (eat) instead of "kain" when she’s talking to friends from
Cebu. She might also use slang that she picked up in Manila, such as "chillax" (a
combination of chill and relax).
• Pronunciation: Maria could have a distinct Cebuano accent when speaking
Filipino or English, pronouncing certain vowels differently or stressing syllables in
a way that’s typical in Cebu but noticeable in Manila.
• Grammar: Her sentence structure might sometimes reflect the influence of
Cebuano, such as occasionally using Cebuano sentence patterns or mixing
Cebuano grammatical structures with Filipino or English.
Examples:
Jargon: Slang:
LP, IM What’s up
Comorbid, acute, defib You bet
Big yikes!
CPU, router,
Charot
PO, RFQ
Praning
10-4, code 8, mirandize Yorme
Lodi
Translanguaging (Code switching/ Code Mixing)
Translanguaging refers to the practice where multilingual speakers use their entire
linguistic repertoire fluidly, rather than keeping languages or dialects separate. It's not
just about switching between languages (code-switching), but about blending them in a
way that creates a new, dynamic form of communication.
A student who speaks both Filipino and English might write a sentence like, "I need to
buy pagkain para sa dinner." Here, the student uses the English word "buy" and the
Filipino word "pagkain" (meaning "food") in the same sentence. This practice allows
them to express their thoughts more naturally and fully.
Example:
Translanguaging/ Code Switching
“Ano ba yan, Nagulat ako kanina biglang nagsigawan ang mga
kapitbahay! Akala ko kung ano na ang nangyari, yun pala nag- I
love you- han lang si Maya at Sir Chief!”
“My brother is not a pig! Ang kapatid ko ay tao, hindi baboy
damo!”
Note:
❑ Sociolinguistics shows that speakers change the forms
of language they use in describable social
circumstances.
❑ Speakers might switch from a ‘high’ form of language to
a ‘low’ form as and when the social environment
suggests so.
❑ They speak a standard educated form of their language
in formal situations and use a dialect form (whether
social or geographical or both) of their language in
informal, casual situations.
❑ Speakers are aware of the ‘correlations’ – that one
situation demands the use of a particular form of the
language and that another social situation demands
another.
❑ The role of the society is to establish the correlation; the
role of the individual is to implement and instantiate it as
appropriate sociolinguistic behavior.
End of Chapter I- Part 01