Sociolinguistics

• Tuesday 6/8
• Holmes Chapter 1
• Presentation Topics

Sociolinguistics 1
 Discussion Questions
• Have you ever been in a situation where you said
something and then realized you should have said
it another way (because of who was listening)?
• Within your own culture?
• In another culture?

Sociolinguistics 2
 Discussion Questions (2)
• Do you know someone you avoid addressing
directly because you don't know what to call
them?
• What “rules” guide you in determining how to address
someone you've just met?

Sociolinguistics 3
 Discussion Questions (3)
• Among your friends and family, what different
ways of speaking are you aware of (grammar,
pronunciation, personal idiosyncrasies, etc.)?
• Are there settings in which you are embarrassed to be
with a particular friend or family member because of the
way they speak?

Sociolinguistics 4
 What is Sociolinguistics?
• What do these questions have to do with each other?
• In a speech community there are many ways to say the
same thing
• We are often guided by social (not linguistic) factors in
choosing which way to say something
• When studying others' use of language, we can't expect to
understand their choices without considering social (in
addition to linguistic) factors

Sociolinguistics 5
 Four “Dimensions”

Social Distance Status

Formality Referential / Affective Function

Sociolinguistics 6
 Concepts Introduced
• Style
• Dialect
• Variety / code
• Linguistic repetoire
• Speech function

Sociolinguistics 7
 Presentation Topics
• Diglossia and Code Switching
• Language Shift
• Pidgins and Creoles
• Language Planning
• Regional and Social Variation
• Gender and Age
• Language Change
• Speech Functions
• Language and Culture
• Gender and Politeness

Sociolinguistics 8