Socio Terms revision

Chapter 1: Language Use and Variation

• Style: Language use varies based on context, audience, and purpose, ranging from formal to informal.
• Dialect: Regional or social group-specific varieties of a language with unique grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
• Variety/Code: Linguistic forms employed in specific social situations, encompassing languages, dialects, and styles.
• Linguistic/Verbal Repertoire: The range of language varieties an individual can use, showcasing their communicative ability.
• Speech Function: The purpose behind an utterance, such as to inform or express emotions.

Chapter 2: Multilingual Contexts

• Domain: Influences language choice in multilingual scenarios based on participants, setting, and topic.
• Diglossia: Coexistence of two language varieties in a community—one formal (high) and one informal (low).
• H and L Varieties:
  • H Variety: Prestigious form utilized in formal contexts like education and literature.
  • L Variety: Informal language used in everyday conversations among familiar individuals.
• Bilingualism:
  • With Diglossia: Uses two languages for different functions within a community.
  • Without Diglossia: Individuals switch languages without functional separation.
• Polyglossia: Presence of multiple languages in a community, each serving unique roles.
• Code-switching: Alternation between languages or varieties during conversation.
• Situational Switching: Language change prompted by a shift in context.
• Metaphorical Switching: Language change to convey nuances or rhetorical effects.
• Code-mixing: Combining elements from various languages within a single utterance.
• Fused Lect: A stable language form resulting from extensive code-mixing.
• Lexical Borrowing: Adoption of foreign words to fill lexical gaps.
• Intra-sentential Code-switching: Language switch within a single sentence.
• Embedded and Matrix Language:
  • Matrix Language: Provides grammatical structure in code-switching.
  • Embedded Language: Secondary language incorporated into the matrix structure.
• Inter-sentential Code-switching: Switching languages between sentences.

Chapter 3: Language Change and Maintenance

• Language Shift: Gradual transition from one language to another in a community.
• Language Death: Complete loss of a language when it has no native speakers.
• Language Loss: Gradual decline in an individual's proficiency in their native language.
• Language Maintenance: Community efforts to preserve and continue using their language.
• Bilingual Education: Instruction offered in two languages to foster proficiency.
• Ethnolinguistic Vitality: Assessment of a language's strength and likelihood of survival based on status and support.
• Linguistic Landscapes: Public displays of languages reflecting community language use.
• Language Revival: Intentional efforts to reactivate endangered or extinct languages.

Chapter 4: Varieties and Languages in Use

• Vernacular: Native language or dialect for informal communication, learned at home.
• Standard: Codified language used in formal settings and recognized by a community.
• Varieties of English:
  • Inner Circle: Native English-speaking countries (e.g., USA, UK).
  • Outer Circle: Countries where English is an official second language (e.g., India, Singapore).
  • Expanding Circle: Countries where English is learned as a foreign language (e.g., China, Russia).
• Lingua Franca: Common language for communication among speakers of different native languages.
• Pidgin: Simplified communication language with limited vocabulary, emerging between groups without a common language, never having native speakers.
• Lexifier/Superstrate: Language providing the majority of vocabulary to pidgin or creole.
• Substrate: Native languages influencing the grammar and pronunciation of pidgin or creole.
• Creole: Fully developed language from a pidgin, having expanded vocabulary and grammar.
• Creolisation: Process of pidgin evolving into a creole as it acquires native speakers.
• Acrolect, Basilect, and Mesolect:
  • Acrolect: Creole variety closest to the standard language.
  • Basilect: Creole variety most distinct from the standard.
  • Mesolect: Intermediate varieties between acrolect and basilect.
• Decreolisation: Process where a creole becomes more similar to the standard language over time.

Chapter 5: Language Status and Policy

• National Language: Language representing a nation's identity, unity, and cultural significance.
• Official Language: Language designated for government and official matters, serving administrative functions.
• De facto vs. De jure Language Status:
  • De facto: Language widely used without legal recognition.
  • De jure: Language formally recognized and established by law.
• Language Planning: Strategic efforts to influence language usage and development.
  • Status Planning: Enhancing a language’s social standing through promotion.
  • Corpus Planning: Standardizing language structure, grammar, and vocabulary.
  • Acquisition Planning: Increasing language users through educational initiatives.
• Codification: The standardization process for a language's rules, grammar, and usage guidelines.