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Questions and Answers
What does sociolinguistics primarily study?
What does sociolinguistics primarily study?
Who were among the first to study the social aspects of language in a modern context?
Who were among the first to study the social aspects of language in a modern context?
What are sociolects primarily related to?
What are sociolects primarily related to?
Which of the following best defines a speech community?
Which of the following best defines a speech community?
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What characterizes a tight social network within a speech community?
What characterizes a tight social network within a speech community?
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What does the term 'prestige' relate to in sociolinguistics?
What does the term 'prestige' relate to in sociolinguistics?
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What aspect of language change is studied by both historical linguists and sociolinguists?
What aspect of language change is studied by both historical linguists and sociolinguists?
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What distinguishes internal language from external language?
What distinguishes internal language from external language?
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What does the lexical level of language change refer to?
What does the lexical level of language change refer to?
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Which of the following is an example of morphological change?
Which of the following is an example of morphological change?
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What characterizes sound level changes in languages?
What characterizes sound level changes in languages?
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Which example illustrates phonetic change?
Which example illustrates phonetic change?
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What type of change occurs when lexical words adopt grammatical functions?
What type of change occurs when lexical words adopt grammatical functions?
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What phenomenon describes the omission of sounds at the end of words?
What phenomenon describes the omission of sounds at the end of words?
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How does sociolinguistics relate to language change?
How does sociolinguistics relate to language change?
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What is a common cause of language change at the lexicon level?
What is a common cause of language change at the lexicon level?
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What do historical linguists primarily study?
What do historical linguists primarily study?
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Which factor is identified as a common cause of language change related to effort?
Which factor is identified as a common cause of language change related to effort?
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What does the process of analogy in linguistics achieve?
What does the process of analogy in linguistics achieve?
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How does language contact typically influence languages?
How does language contact typically influence languages?
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In sociolinguistics, which group of factors primarily influences linguistic behavior?
In sociolinguistics, which group of factors primarily influences linguistic behavior?
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According to language acquisition theories, which aspect is considered a key origin of language change?
According to language acquisition theories, which aspect is considered a key origin of language change?
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Which of the following examples illustrates semantic change through analogy?
Which of the following examples illustrates semantic change through analogy?
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Which of these is a key function of sociolinguists in studying language change?
Which of these is a key function of sociolinguists in studying language change?
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Study Notes
Definition and Origins
- Sociolinguistics examines the impact of societal aspects on language and how language varieties differ across social groups.
- Variables affecting language use include ethnicity, religion, status, gender, education level, and age.
- The term 'sociolinguistics' was first used in 1939 and rose to prominence in the 1960s, pioneered by William Labov in the US and Basil Bernstein in the UK.
- Humor in human speech can reflect social class and personal attributes through dialects and sociolects.
Basic Concepts
- Speech communities consist of individuals sharing a common language norm based on shared pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
- High-prestige varieties of language are associated with upper classes, while low-prestige varieties relate to lower classes.
- Social networks define relationships among members of a speech community, which can be tight or loose.
- Internal language pertains to mental processes, while external language involves social interactions.
Language Change
- Language change is studied by both historical linguists (examining diachronic changes) and sociolinguists (investigating causes of changes and social influences).
- Changes in language can be phonetic, morphological, semantic, or syntactic, evolving over time influenced by speakers' social contexts.
Causes of Language Change
- Economy: The principle of least effort drives simplifications in language, e.g., contractions like "she's."
- Analogy: Irregular forms evolve into regular patterns over time, e.g., morphological regularization of verbs.
- Language Contact: Interaction with other languages leads to lexical borrowing, especially where gaps exist.
- Language Acquisition: Children’s varying understanding of grammar contributes to language evolution across generations.
- Sociolinguistic factors, including social class and formality, also shape linguistic behavior as analyzed by Labov.
Types of Language Change
- Language changes can be classified into lexical, grammatical, and sound levels.
- Lexical Changes: Include loss of lexical items, shifts in meaning, and creation of new words; for example, "bank" may carry different meanings over time.
- Grammatical Changes: Alterations in grammar affect how words and morphs interact, e.g., plural formation shifting from "kine" to "cows."
- Sound Changes: Include phonetic changes (articulation adjustments) and phonemic changes (changes in sound system structure), e.g., Old English /sk/ becoming /sh/.
Conclusion
- Sociolinguistics is pivotal in understanding how society shapes language and how language varies within social contexts.
- The field focuses on the origins of language change and the mechanisms affecting structural levels over time.
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Description
This quiz covers the definition and origins of sociolinguistics, exploring how societal factors affect language and its variations. Learn about various social variables like ethnicity, religion, and status that influence language use and categorization in different communities.
