SEM 102 Language & Society Notes PDF

Language and Society  At the end of this week, you will be able to: Define and differentiate linguistic terms in sociolinguistics (language vs. dialect, contact vs. borrowing, etc.) Sociolinguistics: Crash Course Linguistics #7 - YouTube Language vs. Dialect  Langu...

Language and Society  At the end of this week, you will be able to: Define and differentiate linguistic terms in sociolinguistics (language vs. dialect, contact vs. borrowing, etc.) Sociolinguistics: Crash Course Linguistics #7 - YouTube Language vs. Dialect  Language Is a system of arbitrary sounds used by a community for communication. The Philippines has Sebwano, Ilokano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Bikol, Finontok, Finallig, Mëranaw, Bahasa Sug, Yakan, Sinama, Kinamayu, Itawit, Pangasinan, Kapampangan, Bolinaw, and many more as an example of language.  Types of Language According to Nordquist (2020), there are four types of language: 1. Living Language – A language is classified as living language when there are still individuals who learned it as their first language. Example: Korean, Filipino, English, Russian, and Hindi  Types of Language 2. Dead Language – is a language that is still spoken by certain individuals even if there no native speakers are left. Example: Sanskrit is the language of the Indian subcontinent. It's a Jain, Buddhist, and Sikhism religious language. This language was used to write the majority of old religious writings and scripts. It is not now used as a mother tongue by anyone. However, In the Indian subcontinent, Sanskrit is utilized for religious activities.  Types of Language 3. Historic Language – A language is classified as historic when it is considered to be different from any modern languages that are descended from it. Example: Old English and Middle English. In this circumstance, the language did not become extinct; rather, it evolved into a distinct language through time.  Types of Language 4. Constructed Language – A language produced purposefully by a person or group for the purpose of human communication. Conlang, planned language, glossopoeia, artificial language, auxiliary language, and ideal language are all terms used to describe it. Example: The first language established for Game of Thrones was Dothraki, which is spoken by nomadic mounted tribes in Essos' central plains.  Dialect It refers to a subset of the speech community that possesses a distinguishing characteristic or shibboleth that sets them apart from the rest of the language community (Pelagio, 2018). When dialects evolve on their own, they may eventually be able to be differentiated as a separate language (Pelagio, 2018).  Dialect Dialect is a specific kind of language spoken by a defined group or region. So, you see that language is a broader term, and dialect comes under its shade. Language acts as the parent, and different dialects are stemming from it. The Speech Community  Speech Community A speech community is a collection of people who adhere to the same standards for speaking and understanding at least one variety of a language or dialect. The phrase can refer to a neighborhood, a city, a region, or a country. Rules and customs of this speech community are manifested in a dialect known as vernacular.  Speech Community Speech Norm – the unspoken conventions of language usage shared by members of a speech community. Social Network - the social relationships that exist among all members of a given group; social network analysis addresses this issue by closely examining the complex nature of social relationships and the linguistic patterns connected with those relationships.  Speech Community Network Strength - the closeness of relationships among members of a speech community is determined by assessing density and multiplexity; the denser and multiplex a community, the more likely those people are to speak with each other and share a language variety.  Speech Community Density - a measure of the number of ties among members of a community; if you have five friends, none of whom know each other, you are part of a loose network; if two of your friends know each other, the network is slightly denser; and the densest possible network is if you and all of your friends know each other.  Speech Community Multiplexity - a measure of the types of links among community members derived from identifying the ways in which persons are related; in a close community, your boss may also be your father-in-law and the president of a local community group. Linguistic Borrowing and Language Contact  Linguistic Borrowing In linguistics, borrowing (also known as lexical borrowing) is the process by which a word from one language is adapted for use in another. The word that is borrowed is called a borrowing, a borrowed word, or a loanword (Nordquist, 2019). The English language has been described by David Crystal as an "insatiable borrower." More than 120 other languages have served as sources for the contemporary vocabulary of English.  Linguistic Borrowing Borrowing happens between a donor language and a recipient language. For instance, when the word orangutan is borrowed into English from a Malay word literally meaning 'forest man' (orang 'man', utan 'forest'), Malay is the donor language and English the recipient language.  Types of Borrowing 1. Loanword Speakers may adopt the item or idea and the source language word for each. The borrowed form is a Loanword. These forms now function in the usual grammatical processes, with nouns taking plural and/or possessive forms of the new language and with verbs and adjectives receiving native morphemes as well. Example: butere 'butter' (L < Gr. butyros)  Types of Borrowing 2. Loanshift Another process that occurs is that of adapting native words to the new meanings. Example: A good example from the early Christian era in England is Easter, which had earlier been used for a pagan dawn goddess festival. Other Loanshifts in English include God, heaven, and hell.  Types of Borrowing 3. Loan-translation A Loan-translation or Calque occurs when the native language uses an item-for-item native version of the original. Example: An example from the earliest Christian era is gospel, from good (good) and spella (story; book). The Latin source was related to evangelist (from good plus message plus the ending -ist for person).  Types of Borrowing 4. Loan Blend A Loan-blend is a form in which one element is a loanword and the other is a native element. Example: The borrowed preost (priest) plus the native -had (hood) in Old English to produce preosthad (priesthood).  Language Contact Language contact is the social and linguistic phenomenon by which speakers of different languages (or different dialects of the same language) interact with one another, leading to a transfer of linguistic features (Nordquist, 2020).  Types of Language Contact Direct Contact - the first is direct contact in which speakers of one language turn up in the midst of speakers of another (because of invasion, emigration, etc.). Delayed Effect Contact - The effect here is not immediate. There is no structural upheaval in the recipient language but a gradual penetration due to prolonged exposure to another language by large bilingual sections of a community. (Through the mediation of literature or nowadays television and radio.) Language Variation  Language Variation The term Linguistic Variation (or simply variation) refers to regional, social and contextual differences in the ways that a particular language is used.  Language Variation There are many types of differences among speakers of the same language, such as occupational dialects (the word bugs mean something different to a computer programmer and an exterminator), sexual dialects (women are far more likely than men to call a new house adorable), and educational dialects (the more education people have, the less likely they are to use double negatives).  Language Variation There are dialects of age (teenagers have their own slang, and even the phonology of older speakers in the same geographical location is likely to differ from that of young speakers) and dialects of social situation (we do not talk the same way to our intimate friends as we do to new acquaintances, to the paperboy, or to our employer).  Language Variation In the variation of Language, we study the following topics of language: Standard language National language Dialect  Language Variation Standard Language Standard language is a type of language used by the government, the media, schools, and international communication. North American English, Australian English, and Indian English are examples of distinct types of English. Although the pronunciation of these variations varies, there are little differences in grammar between them.  Language Variation Standard Language Non-standard forms of language, on the other hand, are utilized in various regional dialects, and these non- standard variants of language are distinct from one another. The sole difference between standard and non-standard language is that we regard standard language to be the one that is right in our eyes.  Language Variation National or Official Language The official language of a country, as determined by its government, and spoken and written by the majority of its citizens. It is possible that the national language will be used. For example, it can symbolize a nation's identity or aim to bring people together and foster a sense of brotherhood and patriotism.  Language Variation National or Official Language The official language is used for all government business. The use of the national language facilitates communication inside the country. A country's official language, recognized and adopted by its government, and spoken and written by the majority of its citizens. National language, for example, can express a nation's or country's national identity.  Language Variation Dialect In addition to audible differences, dialects differ in grammar and lexicon. If one person says "John is a farmer," and another says the same thing but pronounces "farmer" as "fahmuh," the difference is one of accent. However, if one person says "You shouldn't do that," and another says "Ya hadn't oughta do that," this is a dialect difference because the variation is greater. Dialect differences exist on a continuum, with some dialects being extremely different and others being less so."  Language Variation Levels of Dialect 1. Regional Dialect A regional dialect is not a distinct language but a variety of a language spoken in a particular area of a country. Some regional dialects have been given traditional names which mark them out as being significantly different from standard varieties spoken in the same place.  Language Variation Levels of Dialect 2. Minority Dialect Sometimes members of a particular minority ethnic group have their own variety which they use as a marker of identity, usually alongside a standard variety, this is called a minority dialect. Examples are African American Vernacular English in the USA, London Jamaican in Britain, and Aboriginal English in Australia.  Language Variation Levels of Dialect 3. Social Dialect Sociolect or social dialect is associated with a particular class. A social dialect is specifically used by a particular group of people living in a society.  Language Variation Levels of Dialect 4. Individual Dialect It is also known as idiolect. Idiolect is used by all individuals living in a society. All people of a country use this dialect in their speech. Every person has a different tone, accent, pronunciations, etc. Language Registers  Language Registers Language registers, according to Hiller and Blackeley (2017), refers to the formality with which a language is spoken or written. Register is frequently used in literary works to create a distinct tone or style. It is not necessary for literary language to be formal. In reality, it has the ability to switch between formal and informal registers at any time. It makes use of both at times. In addition, different scenarios necessitate the use of different registers (Eaton, 2018).  Types of Language Registers 1. Casual This is the informal language used by peers and friends. Past experience with that person, slang, vulgarities, and colloquialisms are normal. This is “group” language. One must be a member to engage in the register.  Types of Language Registers 2. Intimate This communication is private. This is the language shared between couples, twins, very close friends. It is reserved for close family members or intimate people.  Types of Language Registers 3. Frozen Also called “static register”, this style of communication rarely or never changes. It is “frozen” in time and content.  Types of Language Registers 4. Formal This language is used in formal settings and is one- way. This use of language usually follows a commonly accepted format.  Types of Language Registers 5. Consultative This is standard form of communication. Users engage in a mutually accepted structure of communication. Two-way communication used in conversation with professional discourse is a good example. It also shows no past experience with that person.