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Sociolinguistics - Coggle Diagram
Sociolinguistics
The Evolution of sociolinguistics
300 BC: Formal study of language
End of 18th century - Modern Linguistics
Sir William Jones suggests connection between Sanskrit Greek and Latin
Franz Bopp - Comparative Linguistics - Proto language - Language families
As a tool to study the metaphysical entities
Focus on Philology (Language of written historical documents)
Focus on dead languages
Speech Community and Language Community
Speech Community
share a common set of linguistic norms, behaviours, and communicative practices
Members may not necessarily speak the same language
Characteristics
Shared dialects
shared accents
shared vocab
shared communication styles
Effective communication
Sense of identity and belonging
Boundaries not strictly defined by geopolitical borders but by sociocultural or occupational ties.
Examples: Within a uni, students, faculty, staff
Each group may have its own linguistic norms and communication practices that distinguish it from others
Language Community
Broader concept than a speech community
Shared use of a specific language among a group of people
Refers to individuals using a common language for communication regardless of other social factors
May not share linguistic behaviours but use a common language
nationality, ethnicity
Example
The Spanish language community
Spain
Mexico
Argentina
Colombia
Venezuela
Despite accent or specific vocab diff they share the ability to communicate in Spanish
Sociolinguistics vs. Sociology of Language
Sociolinguistics
The study of language in relation to society
coined by Thomas Callan Hodson in the 1939 article "Sociolinguistics in India"
context of social anthropology
William Labov and Basil Bernstein pioneered in 1960s in the West
How language functions in different social contexts
Example
How does code switching vary in different social settings within a multilingual urban community
What linguistic features distinguish urban and rural...
Sociology of Language
The study of society in relation to language
Example
How do language policies mitigate social inequities
How does multilingualism affect economic development
Diachronic and Synchronic variation
Diachronic variation
Synchronic variation
The study of language at a specific point in time
Emphasis: Understanding linguistic system as it exists at a particular moment
Examines variations dialects registers and sociolinguistic factors influencing language usage
Analysis if existing linguistic structures variations and relationships without considering historical changes
Sociolinguistics often deals with synchronic variations
Methods
surveys
interviews
the analysis of language in specific social contexts
Example: Analysing different regional accents and dialects of English spoken in the US today without considering historical developments
Lexical Variation
Regional differences in vocab choices
soda NE+ W coast; Pop in the MW
hoagie Mid Atlantic region, submarine NE
Grammar and Syntax
syntactic structures and grammatical feataures can exhibit regional synchronic variation
might could southern dialects
AAVE the absence of the plural "s" -> group metonymy
Vowel Pronunciation
Different pronunciations of vowels leading to distinct regional accents
cot-caught merger - West MW and South
cot/caught in NE parts of MW and South