Sociolinguistics
D r . P h u o n g N g u y e n
AGENDA
About me
Syllabus Review
Group Registration
Module 1: What do sociolinguists
study?
Module 1: What do sociolinguists study?
1.1. What is a sociolinguist?
1.2. Why do we say the same thing in different ways?
1.3. What are the different ways we say things?
1.4. Social factors, dimensions, and explanations
1.1. What is a sociolinguist? at do
sociolinguists study?
LANGUAGE SOCIETY
Explaining Provides
Why we speak differently in different social Information about the way language works
contexts Social relationships in a community
Identifying the social functions of language How people convey and construct aspects of
and the usage to convey social meaning. their social identity through their language.
1.2. Why do we say the same thing in different ways?
at do sociolinguists study?
Make a list of all the names you are called by people
who know you. For each name, note
• who uses it to you
• when or where
• why
• Languages provide a variety of ways of
saying the same thing
• Linguistic variation can provide social
information.
Who can hear Ray?
Ray’ relationship with
his mum?
Ray’s feelings
Ray’s ages
1.3. What are the different ways we say things?
at do sociolinguists study?
• Social influences on language choice
• Vocabulary or word choice is one area of linguistic
variation
• Other levels of linguistic analysis
• sounds, word- structure (or morphology), and grammar (or
syntax), as well as vocabulary.
• Dialects
Speech community
• A regionally or socially definable human
group, all of whose members share at least a
variety and a set of norms and rules for its
appropriate use.
A variety is a set of linguistic forms used under
specific social circumstances
• different accents
• different linguistic styles
• Variation in speech features according to a range of
possible aspects
• different dialects
• different languages
Acquire their knowledge of varieties
by extensive exposure and a process
of osmosis.
1.4. Social factors, dimensions, and
explanations
The participants: who is speaking and who are they
Social speaking to?
factors The setting or social context of the interaction: where
are they speaking?
The topic: what is being talked about?
The function: why are they speaking?
1.4. Social factors, dimensions, and
explanations
Social A social distance scale concerned with participant
dimensions relationships.
A status scale concerned with participant relationships.
A formality scale relating to the setting or type of
interaction.
Two functional scales relating to the purposes or topic
of interaction.
The solidarity– social distance scale
The status scale
The formality scale
The referential and affective function
scales
News on TV Gossip
News on TV Gossip
Gossip
News on TV
1.4. Social factors, dimensions, and
explanations
Looking for identify the linguistic variation
explanations
identify the different social or nonlinguistic factors which lead speakers to use
one form rather than another participants
look for patterns which will help to formulate an explanation
move towards a theory which provides a motivated account of the way
language is used in a community, and of the choices people make when they
use language.
Class Discussion 1
1 2 3
Go to your class Create 1 post
• Include your Name and Student ID
Comment on at least
Padlet • Give an example of a daily conversation 1 friend’s post
between 2 people (within 4 lines).
• Point out 4 social factors (participant,
• 12:00 -15:00 setting, topic, function)
• Discuss 4 social dimensions of the
• 15:10-17:40 conversation.
• What social factor are the most important
in your speech community and why?
Homework
Complete Class
Read Chapter 2
Discussion 1
THANK YOU