Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

Sociolinguistics: Regional & Social Varieties

Presentation Carsten Litterscheidt, 19 Jan 2006 Reference works: Holmes, Janet. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. London et. al.: Longman, 1996. Mesthrie, Rajend, ed. Concise Encyclopedia of Sociolinguistics. Amsterdam et. al.: Elsevier, 2001. Romaine, Suzanne. Language in society: an introduction to sociolinguistics. Oxford et. al.: Oxford UP, 1994. Trudgill, Peter. Sociolinguistics: An Introduction to language and society. London et al.: Penguin Books, 1983. Wardhaugh, Ronald. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. 4th ed. Malden et. al.: Blackwell, 2002.

Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik

Winter Term 05/06

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

Outline of Presentation
I. What is Sociolinguistics?

II. A brief account on the history of Sociolinguistics (SL) III. How do sociolinguists work? IV. Regional Variation: The starting point V. Social Variation VI. Sociolinguistic competence

Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik

Winter Term 05/06

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

I. What is Sociolinguistics?
One possible definition: The study of the relationship between language (lge) and society

Sociology vs. Sociolinguistics Sociologists (among others) study the effect of lge on society Sociolinguists effect of society on lge

A more precise definition: [Sociolinguists] are interested in explaining why we speak differently in different social contexts, and they are concerned with identifying the social functions of language and the ways it is used to convey social meaning. (Janet Holmes)

Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik

Winter Term 05/06

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

II. A brief account on the history of SL

Forerunners of SL: the founders of the study of lge, culture and cognition Franz Boas Leonard Bloomfield Edward Sapir Term first mentioned in 1952 by Haver Currie (poet and philosopher) Sociolinguistics became an independent area of research in the early 1960s SL chiefly influenced by: historical and comparative linguistics interest in dialects, because they could help explain/varify theories on lge change previously based on written material anthropology dialectology
Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik 4 Winter Term 05/06

ethnographical approach to linguistics

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

II. A brief account on the history of SL

First significant works: 1953: Uriel Weinreichs Languages in Contact (a structural and social account on bilingualism) 1953: Einar Haugens study of the social history of the Norwegian lge in America 1962: Martin Joos study on the dimensions of style

The Chomskyan/Generative vs. Sociolinguistic approach Chomsky: what can be generated in lge by what means SL: what can be said in a language, by whom, to whom, in whose presence, when and where, in what manner, and under what social circumstances

Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik

Winter Term 05/06

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

III. How do Sociolinguists work?

Q1: Why do we say the same thing in different ways? Example: adressing & greeting
Margaret leaves her office: Mike (her colleague): Margaret Mike: Goodbye Margaret. Goodbye Mike. Goodbye Ms Walker. Goodbye Jill. Bye Mrs Walker. Goodbye Andy.

colleagues = same status employer / employee = formal employer / employee = informal?

Jill (her secretary): Margaret Jill:

Andy (the caretaker): Margaret Andy: Margaret arrives at home: Jamie (her son): Her mother: Her husband:

Hi mum!

young, casual, short, indifferent?

Hello dear, have a good day? old, intimate, friendly Youre late again

intimate, no salutation, annoyed

Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik

Winter Term 05/06

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

III. How do Sociolinguists work?

Q2: What are the different ways we say things? Example: different accent use Sam: Jim: You seen our enrys new ouse yet? Its in alton you know. I have indeed. I could hardly miss it Sam. Your Henry now owns the biggest house in Halton.

Sam =

use of accent different from standard vernacular/dialect?

[h]-dropping

speaker of a

Jim =

speaker of standard? maybe uses standard to correct Sams faulty language?

Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik

Winter Term 05/06

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

III. How do Sociolinguists work?

Sociolinguists investigate varieties (codes) Variety = a set of linguistic forms used under specific social circumstances accents, linguistic styles, dialects, different lges in contrast with each other Varieties make up the linguistic repertoire of each member of a speech community

Procedural steps of investigation: 1) Identify the linguistic variation involved (e.g. a dialect feature like [h]-dropping) 2) Identify the different social or non-linguistic factors which lead the speaker to use that particular form rather than another 3) Generalization: Is it possible to determine why particular social factors lead to the use of one set of forms rather than another? describe generalizations in the form of sociolinguistic universals
Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik 8 Winter Term 05/06

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

III. How do Sociolinguists work?

What are the social factors involved? Participants: who talks to whom? Setting: where are they speaking? Topic: what are they talking about? Function: why are they speaking?

What social dimensions are involved in sociolinguistic analysis? Solidarity / social distance Status / power Formality intimacy vs. distance of interlocutors

superiority vs. subordination of interlocutors

high vs. low formality (setting / type of interaction)

Function referential (objective information content, e.g. news report) vs. affective function (subjective, affective content, e.g. tell about feelings)
9 Winter Term 05/06

Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

IV. Regional Variation: The starting point

International variation
Example:

A British visitor to New Zealand decided while he was in Auckland he would look up an old friend from his war days. He found the address, walked up the path and knocked on the door. Gidday, said the young man opened the door. What can I do for you? Ive called to see me old mate Don Stone, said the visitor. Oh hes dead now mate. said the young man. The visitor was about to express condolences when he was thumped on the back by Don Stone himself. The young man had said Heres dad now mate, as his father came in the gate.

different dialects
Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik

differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar

10 Winter Term 05/06

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

IV. Regional Variation: The starting point

Intra-national / intra-continental variation Example: Rob: Alan: Rob: This wheels completely disjaskit. I might could get it changed. You couldnt do nothing of the sort. It needs dumped.

Features of Tyneside dialect (North-Eastern England): double modals, double negatives, need + -ed (instead of -ing) + Lexical borrowing from Scottish: disjaskit = worn out / completely ruined different dialects differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar

Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik

11

Winter Term 05/06

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

IV. Regional Variation: The starting point

Conducting research on regional variation: 1) Collect data / samples on regional variation

2) Define geographical areas where the same dialectal features occur (linguistic areas)

3) Establish a dialect map

regional dialect continuum

Q: So far, this could have been done by a dialectologist, but where exactly does the sociolinguists work come in? A: Once we have identified a linguistic variable, we have to collect further data to assess the social distribution of the variants of that particular variable, e.g. find out about the social stratification of the use of the RP accent as compared to possible variants of RP (standard vs. vernacular use).
Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik 12 Winter Term 05/06

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

V. Social Variation
Q: What does regional variation have to do with social variation? Example: RP a social accent
Highest class: RP (ca 5% of British population)

Social variation / Social ladder Lowest class: most localized accents Regional variation
Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik 13 Winter Term 05/06

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

V. Social Variation
Q: What does regional variation have to do with social variation? Social and regional dialect variation
Highest class: standard dialect A limited amount of grammatical variation is possible. Compare StE: Ive not washed the dishes yet. I havent washed the dishes yet.

Social variation / Social ladder

Lowest class: most localized non-standard (vernaculars) Regional variation

Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik 14 Winter Term 05/06

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

V. Social Variation
Q: What does regional variation have to do with social variation? A: By referring to the previously mentioned social dimensions the use of a social variety can reveal a speakers social status / background gender age ethnicity + (many) other social factors

People can accommodate their language (e.g. code-switch) according to their communicative competence (Dell Hymes). = We can move up and down the social ladder.

Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik

15

Winter Term 05/06

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

V. Sociolinguistic Competence
Definition: The knowledge which underlies peoples ability to use language appropriately. (Janet Holmes) Variation in multilingual speech communities Example: code-switching Young British Portuguese using Portuguese at home and at church English in all other domains of life because it is appropriate language use for them. (Other examples include the use and explain the existence of lingua francas, pidgins and creoles.)

Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik

16

Winter Term 05/06

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics: Regional and Social Varieties

V. Sociolinguistic Competence
Variation in monolingual speech communities Learning to use the community lge in a way which reflects ones membership of various overlapping social groups:

family My own private sociolinguistic competence partner

friends

colleagues

Seminar: Examenskolloquium Linguistik

17

Winter Term 05/06