Sociolinguistics Overview and Key Concepts
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Questions and Answers

What are the two axes through which sociolinguistics examines language?

The two axes are the diachronic axis, which examines historical language change, and the synchronic axis, which focuses on language at a specific moment in time.

What does the term 'idiolect' refer to in sociolinguistics?

Idiolect refers to the unique language patterns and characteristics that are specific to an individual.

Define the term 'sociolect'.

A sociolect is a variation of language that is shared among a specific social group, reflecting their collective identity.

How does sociolinguistic research differ from other linguistic studies?

<p>Sociolinguistic research is fieldwork-based, relying on authentic examples of language usage collected in natural environments, rather than on introspection or theoretical conclusions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role does historical change play in the study of language within sociolinguistics?

<p>Historical change is examined through the diachronic axis to understand how language has evolved over time as societies transform.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What contribution did Carmen Llamas make to sociolinguistic research?

<p>Carmen Llamas contributed through her fieldwork in Teesside, showcasing practical techniques and findings that connect to wider sociolinguistic studies.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Explain why sociolinguistics is considered an applied linguistics discipline.

<p>Sociolinguistics is seen as applied linguistics because it focuses on real-world language use and variation as observed in natural settings.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is fieldwork important in sociolinguistic research?

<p>Fieldwork is crucial because it provides authentic data on language use in context, allowing researchers to study language variation in real-life situations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a linguistic variable in sociolinguistics?

<p>A linguistic variable is a feature of language that can be realized by different choices, such as variations in sounds, words, phrases, or discourse patterns.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is phonological variation often easier to study than other forms of language variation?

<p>Phonological variation is easier to study because specific sounds can be observed more readily than words, phrases, or grammatical structures.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does geographical location influence pronunciation according to the content provided?

<p>Geographical location affects pronunciation, as certain accents or traits, like the pronunciation of the /r/ in 'farm', are strongly associated with specific regions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Provide an example of lexical variants for round bread products mentioned in the text.

<p>Examples of lexical variants for round bread products include bun, roll, cob, and bap.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What major focus has sociolinguistic studies traditionally taken, and why?

<p>Sociolinguistic studies have traditionally focused on accent variation because it is easier to observe individual sounds than to wait for specific words or grammatical structures.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are examples of phrases that can vary by geographical location when referring to parking a car?

<p>Examples include 'park', 'rank', or 'file' the car.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is one advantage of focusing on phonological variation in sociolinguistic research?

<p>One advantage is that phonological variation can be recorded easily without needing extensive testing setups, allowing for efficient data collection.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why might some variations go unrecognized by speakers according to the content?

<p>Some variations might go unrecognized because speakers may not be familiar with certain lexical variants, such as less common regional terms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary advantage of phonological variables in sociolinguistic research?

<p>They are usually below the level of conscious awareness, allowing for naturalistic data collection.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does sociolinguistics systematically describe accents?

<p>By using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), which assigns special letters to specific sounds.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the IPA cover in terms of human speech?

<p>It covers every speech sound possible to make with the human mouth and throat.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What phonetic symbol represents the sound in 'pit'?

<p>The symbol 'p' represents the sound in 'pit'.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Identify one vowel and its corresponding IPA symbol mentioned in the text.

<p>The vowel sound in 'pet' corresponds to the IPA symbol 'É›'.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a 'glottal stop' as described in the text?

<p>It is represented by the symbol 'Ê”' and occurs in words like 'bu'er', where the /t/ is omitted.</p> Signup and view all the answers

List two diphthongs included in the IPA and their common representations.

<p>The diphthongs 'ɑɪ' for 'bite' and 'ɔɪ' for 'boy'.</p> Signup and view all the answers

In addition to phonological variables, what other linguistic level has been studied?

<p>Grammatical variation has also been studied in sociolinguistics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Identify the IPA symbol for the sound in 'judge'.

<p>The symbol 'dÊ’' represents the sound in 'judge'.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does it mean when people refer to a 'strong accent'?

<p>It indicates a noticeable variation in pronunciation that can signify regional or cultural differences.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary aim of Llamas' research in Middlesbrough?

<p>To discover if local forms of British English were being eradicated and whether spreading vernacular forms were affecting Middlesbrough English.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which social variables were included in Llamas' fieldwork design?

<p>Age and gender were the two social variables included in the fieldwork design.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many speakers formed the sample for the study, and what was their self-assessed social classification?

<p>The sample consisted of 32 speakers who all self-identified as 'working-class'.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What innovative method did Llamas use for data elicitation during interviews?

<p>Llamas used a Sense Relation Network sheet with prompts to elicit vernacular alternatives from subjects.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What were the four age groups represented in the fieldwork sample?

<p>The age groups were Old (60-80), Middle-aged (32-45), Young adult (19-22), and Adolescent (16-17).</p> Signup and view all the answers

What linguistic variable involving the /r/ sound was included in the study?

<p>The study analyzed the variants of intervocalic /r/ in terms of its phonetic realizations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why was the 'apparent time hypothesis' utilized in Llamas' research?

<p>The 'apparent time hypothesis' was used to analyze linguistic changes in progress across different age cohorts.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What levels of analysis were promised by the data collection method, and which ones were actually analyzed?

<p>The method promised analysis at five levels: phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicology, and discoursal variation; however, only the first four were analyzed.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between phonemes and allophones?

<p>Phonemes are represented in slashes, such as /r/, while allophones are represented in square brackets, like [ɾ], and refer to the different pronunciations of a phoneme.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which localized variant of /r/ is associated with northern England and Scotland?

<p>The localized variant of /r/ associated with northern England and Scotland is [ɾ].</p> Signup and view all the answers

How is the usage of the localized variant [ɾ] correlated with age among speakers?

<p>The usage of the localized variant [ɾ] is in steady decline among younger speakers, primarily used by older speakers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What new variant of /r/ has appeared recently among young speakers in Middlesbrough English?

<p>The new variant [Ê‹] has appeared recently among young speakers in Middlesbrough English.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What evidence suggests that change is in progress in Middlesbrough English (MbE)?

<p>The evidence of change in MbE includes the decline of the localized variant [ɾ] and the rise of the spreading variant [ʋ] among younger speakers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who initiates the process of levelling variants in fluency, according to the findings?

<p>Females are found to lead in the levelling out of variants, with males following.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which gender tends to lead in the diffusion of new variants like [Ê‹] in MbE?

<p>Males lead in the diffusion of new variants like [Ê‹] into the vernacular, with females following.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What implication does the change in the use of /r/ variants in MbE have on its similarity to other accents?

<p>The changes suggest that MbE may be becoming more similar to accents from the south-east of England.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How can the perspective on 'bad' grammar shift when considering sociolinguistics?

<p>It can be viewed as a systematic non-standard dialect rather than a mistake.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What impact does awareness of multidialectalism have on students?

<p>It expands their linguistic repertoire and boosts their confidence in language abilities.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role does Lippi-Green's work play in understanding language prejudice?

<p>It provides detailed information on how language prejudice has influenced society in the USA.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How has sociolinguistics contributed to practical fields such as acting and law enforcement?

<p>It has provided insights into accents and discourse that help actors and aid in criminal investigations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What significance do studies by Labov and Milroy have in historiography?

<p>They illustrate how sociolinguistics can aid in understanding the historical development of languages.</p> Signup and view all the answers

In what ways do sociolinguistic methods influence research ethics?

<p>They emphasize the importance of ethics in linguistic studies and advocate for the use of naturalistic data.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What complexities does sociolinguistics reveal about language in its applied setting?

<p>It highlights the richness of language uses and the importance of context in communication.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why might a humorous passage imitating spoken vernacular be useful in sociolinguistic studies?

<p>It provides data to analyze phonological, lexical, grammatical, and discoursal features of speech.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

What is sociolinguistics?

The study of language variation and change, considering how societies differ and evolve over time, and how language is intertwined with those processes.

Idiolect

A unique and individual way of speaking, influenced by personal experiences and habits.

Sociolect

A variety of language shared by a group of people, often defined by social factors like age, gender, region, or socioeconomic status.

Diachronic

Focusing on the historical evolution of language, analyzing how language usage has changed over time.

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Synchronic

Analyzing language as it occurs in a specific moment in time, usually the present.

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Fieldwork in Sociolinguistics

The study of language in its natural environment, focusing on how language is used in real-world situations.

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Applied Linguistics

Branch of linguistics that focuses on practical applications of language research, often used to solve real-world problems.

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Sociolinguistic Fieldwork

The use of data collected from real-world language use to study social aspects of language.

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Linguistic Variable

A feature of language that can be realized in different ways.

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Sociolinguistics

The study of how language variation is related to social factors.

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Phonological Variation

Changes in how sounds are pronounced, often influenced by geographical location.

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Lexical Variation

A situation where the same concept can have multiple words used to express it.

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Discourse Variation

Differences in how language is used in different social situations or contexts.

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Subconscious Variation

Variations in language that are below the level of conscious awareness of the speaker.

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Sociolinguistic Identity

The use of language to express identity or belonging to a particular group.

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Sociolinguistic Analysis

The study of how language is used in specific social contexts.

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Middlesbrough English (MbE)

A variety of English spoken in Middlesbrough, a town in the North East of England.

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Apparent time hypothesis

The hypothesis that language changes over time, and these changes can be observed by comparing the speech of different age groups.

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Alveolar tap

The sound made by the tongue when it hits the roof of the mouth behind the teeth (like the 'r' in 'red').

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Alveolar approximant

The sound made by the tongue when it is close but not touching the roof of the mouth (like the 'r' in 'read').

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Labio-dental approximant

The sound made by the lower lip touching the upper teeth (like the 'w' sound but with a slightly different tongue position).

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Linguistic variation

A systematic difference in how words are pronounced or used by different groups of speakers.

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Linguistic change in progress

The process of language change occurring within a community, often observed through changes in pronunciation or grammar.

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Sense Relation Network sheet

A technique used to collect data from speakers by asking them to provide alternative words or phrases for given prompts.

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International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

A systematic way to represent all possible speech sounds produced by humans. It uses special symbols, each representing a unique sound.

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Phonological Variables

Variations in pronunciation that distinguish one accent from another.

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Accent

A consistent way of speaking, characterized by its pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar, often associated with a particular region or social group.

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Unconscious Awareness

The tendency for people to be unaware of their own pronunciation patterns.

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Standard Accent

A way of speaking that is considered broadly accepted and standard within a language.

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Grammatical Variation

Variations in grammar that distinguish one variety of language from another.

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Stop Consonant

A speech sound that is produced by placing two articulators together and creating a complete closure.

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Grammatical Variation

Differences in how language is structured and used based on social contexts or groups.

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Fricative Consonant

A speech sound that is produced by bringing two articulators close together, but not completely closing them off.

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Vowel

A speech sound that is produced by placing the tongue in a particular position in the mouth and allowing air to flow freely over it.

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What are allophones?

A phoneme, like /r/, can be pronounced in slightly different ways called allophones, like [ɾ], [ɹ], or [ʋ]. These variations depend on where the speaker is from and how they were raised.

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What is the localized variant of /r/ in Middlesbrough English?

The localized variant of /r/ in Middlesbrough English, represented by [ɾ], is a tap that is found mostly in northern England and Scotland.

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What is the standard variant of /r/?

The standard variant of /r/, represented by [ɹ], is the more common way of pronouncing /r/ that is not specific to any particular region.

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What is the spreading variant of /r/ in Middlesbrough English?

The spreading variant of /r/ in Middlesbrough English, represented by [Ê‹], is a labio-dental sound that is currently becoming more common, especially in the south of England.

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What is linguistic change?

The study of how language changes over time, specifically looking at the frequency and distribution of different variants within a language.

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How does linguistic change occur?

Linguistic change occurs through the process of leveling, which means that different variants of a feature become more similar to each other, and diffusion, which means that a feature spreads from one region or group to another.

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What are the trends in linguistic change in Middlesbrough English?

In Middlesbrough English, the localized variant [ɾ] is decreasing in use, especially among younger speakers. The spreading variant [ʋ] is becoming more common, particularly among young people.

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What are the gender-related differences in linguistic change in Middlesbrough English?

The data suggests that females are more likely to lead in the levelling process, while males tend to lead in the diffusion of new variants.

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Study Notes

Sociolinguistics

  • Sociolinguistics is the study of language in society, focusing on linguistic indicators of culture and power.
  • It emphasizes the social dimension of language use, considering factors such as ethnicity, gender, ideology, and social rank.
  • Sociolinguistics is a descriptive field, aiming for scientific objectivity in studying the social aspects of language.
  • The field is progressive, continuously refining understanding of language and society's interplay.
  • Sociolinguistics examines language variation and change.

Issues in Sociolinguistics

  • Sociolinguistics is a field based on fieldwork, involving collecting language examples in natural settings.
  • This method prioritizes practical, systematic investigation over personal impressions.
  • It examines language variation, considering both historical ('diachronic') and current ('synchronic') aspects.

Categorizing Ways People Speak

  • Idiolect: An individual's unique style of speaking.
  • Sociolect: Shared linguistic patterns among social groups.
  • Sociolinguistics focuses on categorizing sociolects and their patterns, demonstrating their significance to social groups.
  • Standard and non-standard varieties of language are often in tension, with standard forms often promoted by institutions.

Prestige, Stigmatization & Language Loyalty

  • Standard forms are often considered prestigious, while non-standard forms are sometimes stigmatized.
  • Linguistic variables are features of language, like sounds, words, or grammatical choices, whose realization depends on context.
  • Attitudes toward different language varieties influence their perceived prestige and the extent to which they are used in various situations.

Grammatical & Lexical Variation

  • Linguistic variables can involve grammatical features (e.g., subject-verb agreement in different contexts) and the choice of words or phrases (lexical).
  • Dialectal variation in language use is noticeable both regionally and socially (e.g., different words to describe familiar items in different communities).
  • Variation in phonology (pronunciation) is studied using the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Sociolinguistic Variation & Factors

  • Sociolinguistic studies investigate language variation across various levels, like discourse, grammar, vocabulary, and phonology.
  • Gender, age, social class, geographical location, and social networks have a significant impact on language variation and change.
  • Accommodation (adapting one's speech to the other speaker) is a factor affecting language change.
  • Language variation is not random; it correlates with social factors.

Collecting Sociolinguistic Data

  • Researchers must be mindful of the ethical considerations and informants' rights regarding data collection.
  • Sociolinguists employ a variety of data collection methods, which includes informal interviews, standardized questionnaires, recordings of conversations, and more.
  • The context in which data is collected is vital. Speakers may change their linguistic patterns when aware of being observed.

Models & Frameworks

  • Sociolinguistics examines the changes in language over time and the reasons for these changes.
  • It looks at internal (language system driven) and external factors/speakers driving changes.
  • Dialect leveling (a tendency toward uniformity of language), and the diffusion of linguistic traits (spreading of linguistic traits) are important aspects of sociolinguistic variation to interpret changes in language.

Applications of Sociolinguistics

  • Sociolinguistics provides insights into language planning and government policy on education.
  • Sociolinguistic analysis informs teacher training and language instruction.

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Description

This quiz explores essential concepts in sociolinguistics, including the definitions of idiolect and sociolect, the significance of historical change, and the role of fieldwork in research. It also examines the contributions of notable researchers and discusses how geographic factors influence language variation. Test your understanding of how sociolinguistics intersects with applied linguistics.

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