Definition of Sociolinguistics

• the study of characteristics of language varieties, the

characteristics of their functions, and the characteristics of their
speakers as these three constantly interact, change and change one
another within a speech community”.
(Fishman, 1972)
• The study that is concerned with investigating the relationship
between language and society with the goal of a better
understanding of the structure of language and of how languages
function in communication
(Ronald Wardhaugh, 1986)
 Definition of Sociolinguistics
• Sociolinguistics as the study which focuses on the characteristics and
variety of language and the relationship of linguists with the
correlation of its characteristics and variety of language and the
relationship of languists with the correlation of its characteristics and
variety and also the function of language in society.
(Harimurti Kridalaksana, 1978)
• Sociolinguistics includes anthropological linguistics, dialectology,
discourse analysis, ethnography of speaking, geolinguistics, language
contact studies, secular linguistics, the social psychology of language
and the sociology of langue.”
(Trudgill, 2003)
 Definition of Sociolinguistics
Simple understanding:

Sociolinguistics

“Linguistics”
“Socio-” = formal, systematic
= society study of various
aspects of language
 Definition of Sociolinguistics
=> Sociolinguistics:
• is the study of the relationship between language and society
• focuses on how language is used by the individual speaker and
groups of speakers in its social context.
• is a branch of linguistics that takes language and the relationship
with society as the object of study.
 Key concepts of Sociolinguistics
1. Language vs. languages

The study of language The study of languages

the work of the future

the work of a linguist
language performer

to study pronunciation,
to discover the particular
grammar, and vocabulary
characteristics of human
manifestations of a specific
language in all its various
language or specific
manifestations.
languages.
 Key concepts of Sociolinguistics
2. Dialect
2.1. Definition
• Cambridge Dictionary: a form of a language that people speak in a
particular part of a country, containing some different words and
grammar, etc
• Sociolinguistics: the collection of phonetic, phonological,
syntactic, morphological and semantic attributes that make one
group of speakers noticeable different from another group of
speakers of the same language
(Lawandowski, 2010)
 Key concepts of Sociolinguistics
2. Dialect
2.2. Characteristics
• All languages consist of dialects; each person speaks at least one
dialect
The people who speak a certain dialect are called a speech
community.
• Dialect differences are usually minor and dialects of a language are
usually mutually intelligible
• Dialects are geographically, socially, politically determined
 Key concepts of Sociolinguistics
2. Dialect
2.3. Example
Some of the larger dialectal divisions in the English speaking world:
British English vs. American English vs. Australian English

British English American English

lay by rest area
Petrol gasoline
Lorry truck
Minerals Soft drinks
 Key concepts of Sociolinguistics
3. Idiolect
• An idiolect is the variety of language spoken by each individual
speaker of the language.
idiolect is a dialect spoken by one individual
• An idiolect includes: the vocabulary appropriate to various interests
and activities, pronunciations reflective of the region in which the
performer live or have lived and variable styles of speaking that shift
subtly depending on whom the performer are addressing.”
(Thomas P. Klammer, Muriel R. Schulz, and Angela Della Volpe, 2007)
 Key concepts of Sociolinguistics
4. Social dialect
4.1. Definition
• Social dialect: a variety which reflects social variation in language use,
according to certain factors related to the social group of the speaker
such as education, occupation, income lever, etc.
4.2. Factors affecting social dialect

Social Education
Religion
class

Profession Caste Age Gender

 Key concepts of Sociolinguistics
4. Social dialect
4.3. How languages vary in social dialect

Vocabulary Pronunciation Grammar

4.4. Example
Social dialects in England:
• Two types of pronunciations for “r” in words such as “car” or
“cart”: [r] or ɸ
• People of high social class have the tendency to omit the sound
“r” behind a vowel.
 Key concepts of Sociolinguistics
5. Lingua franca
• also known as “linking language”, “working language”, “bridge
language”, “vehicular language”
• a language which is used as a means of communication among
people who have no native language in common
Presently, English is considered a “lingua franca” of the World.
 Key concepts of Sociolinguistics
6. Pidgin (contact language)
6.1. Definition
• a restricted and extended language which arises with an urgency of
communication to serve specific needs between social groups that are
ethnically and linguistically different from each other.
=> a pidgin is a language developed by people whose mother tongues
are different in order to facilitate communication between them
6.2. Pidginization
• a complex combination of different processes of change, including
reduction and simplification of input materials, internal innovation, and
regularization of structure, with L1 influence.
 Key concepts of Sociolinguistics
6. Pidgin
6.3. Characteristics
• the simplified language of a mixture of two or more languages
=> No native speakers yet => temporary
• Not used as a means of group identification
• The less dominant group (because of economic or social factor) is
the one which develops the pidgin.
• Main function: Trading
 Key concepts of Sociolinguistics
7. Register
7.1. Definition of Register
• A register is a “diatypic variety‟ or variety according to the use.
(Halliday, 1978)
• A register is what you are speaking (at the time) which is
determined by what you are doing (nature of social activity being
engaged in) and expressing diversity of social process (social division
of labor).
 Key concepts of Sociolinguistics
7. Register
7.2. Types of Register
• is used by professionals or in situations where people are not familiar
Formal with one another.
Register • Example: Standard American English

• is used with more familiar people in casual conversation

Informal
• Ex: deleting the “you” subject and the auxiliary often shorten questions
Register (“Running the marathon?”)

• is characterized by the use of a false high-pitched nasal voice.

Over-formal
• Ex: a woman might approach another woman whom she does not really
Register like and ask her cordially in a high-pitched voice, “How are you doing?”

• characterized by high-pitched, elongated sounds and “sing-song”

Motherese intonation.
• Ex: It is used when people speak to infants, young children, or pets.

• characterized by easily observable verbal and non-verbal cues

Reporting
• EX: flat intonation, rapid rate of speech, relatively low pitch, absence of
Register marked facial expressions, and gestures.
 Sociolinguistics
Bilingualism

Intercultural/cross-cultural
communication

Biculturalism

Language and Power

Language and Gender

 Bilingualism
1. Definition
• Bilingualism: the ability to communicate in two languages but
with greater skills in one language.
• The people which interrelated in it called bilingual.
• Examples: English and French in Canada, English and Cantonese in
Hong Kong
 Bilingualism
2. Types of Bilingualism

Simultaneous bilingualism
• Learning two languages as “first languages” from
birth
Receptive bilingualism
• Being able to understand two languages but
express oneself in only one.
Sequential bilingualism
• Learning one language after already established a
first language.
 Biculturalism
1. Definition
• Biculturalism: the ability to effectively navigate day to day life in
two different social groups and to do with the anticipated result of
being accepted by the cultural group that is not one’s own.
(Smith, 2008)
• Example: Biculturalism happened in Algeria as a consequence of
settlement caused by French colonial domination.
 Biculturalism
2. Two divergent concepts
• Acculturation: “a process, voluntary or involuntary by which an
individual or group adopt one or more of another group’s culture or
linguistic traits, resulting in new or blended cultural or linguistic patterns.”
=> the adaptation of a new culture without necessary loosing its proper
culture.
• Assimilation: “a voluntary or involuntary process by which individuals or
groups completely take on the traits of another culture, leaving their
original cultural and linguistic identities behind.”
the result of the loss of a person’s original cultural or linguistic identity.

(Ovando, 2008)
 Cross-cultural communication
1. Definition
• Intercultural/cross-cultural communication: interpersonal
communication and interaction across different cultures.
• Effective cross-cultural communication: overcoming cultural
differences across nationality, religion, borders, culture and
behavior.
2. Cross-cultural communication needs
Listening skills Speaking skills
Observation Patience
Flexibility
 Cross-cultural communication
2. Aspects of cross-cultural communication

Verbal Nonverbal

Written cross-
cultural body posture
communication

Oral cross-
cultural hand gestures
communication

body
movements
 Language and power
1. Definition
• Language and power: connections between language use and
unequal relations of power
• Power is being exerted when:
 One speaker is able to infer or decode inferences that lead to an
inequality of relationship with the listener
Our mind is moved from what we want it to dwell on to being
engaged by a text (written or spoken)
 Language and power
2. Categories of power

• physical actions, violence,

Practical
skill, money, goods or services

Knowledge • using knowledge to influence

(ideas) others

• power gained from position in

Position
a hierarch

• personality, nurturing or
Personal
caring
 Language and power
3. Status markers

Agenda-setting
Forms of
and topic
address
management

Turn-taking,
Utterance types
holding and
and language
seizing the floor

Directives
 Language and gender
1. Definition
• Language and gender: an area of study within sociolinguistic,
applied linguistics, and related fields that investigates varieties of
speech associated with a particular gender, or social norms for such
gendered language use.
• Gender: a rage of characteristics used to distinguish between
males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women
and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them.
 Language and gender
2. Elements of Language and Gender

1 • Minimal response

2 • Question

3 • Turn-taking

4 • Changing topic

5 • Self-disclosure

6 • Verbal aggression

7 • Politeness
 Language and gender
Men Women
Minimal Response less than Response frequently
response women when they have when they have a
a conversation conversation
Eg. “mhmm”, “yeah” Eg. paralinguistic features
less frequently such as “mhmm”, “yeah”
which is behavior
associated with
collaborative their
language use
 Language and gender
Men Women
Question • Men’s language is • Women use questions
heard as: clearly their more frequently. They use
toughness, lack of question tag to avoid
affect, competitiveness, making strong statements
independence, • women usually do not to
competence, hierarch, do point when they want
control to ask something
• Men usually ask
something to do point
 Language and gender
Men Women
Self- Male tendencies to non- • Sharing their problems
disclosure self-disclosure and and experiences with
professing advice or others, often to offer
offering a solution when sympathy
confronted with • They usually asked their
another’s problems friends about their
because man usually problems
solve their problems by
themselves
 Language and gender
Men Women
Turn-taking Center on their own Female linguistic behavior
point or remaining characteristically
silent when presented encompasses a desire to
with such implicit offers take turns in conversation
of conversational turn- with others
taking as are provide by
hedges such as and
“isn’t it”
 Language and gender
Men Women
Turn-taking Center on their own Female linguistic behavior
point or remaining characteristically
silent when presented encompasses a desire to
with such implicit offers take turns in conversation
of conversational turn- with others
taking as are provide by
hedges such as and
“isn’t it”
 Language and gender
Men Women
Changing Firm, Sport, Women, Gossip, Men, Shopping,
topic Politic, Cars Child-rearing, Personal
relationship
Verbal Focus on the down Engage in angry talk which
aggression play of conflict in is typically characterized
order to maintain or by vituperative and brazen
at least give the display of insults and
illusion of harmony shouting
 References
1. Fishman, J. A. (1972). Sociolinguistics. Rowley, Massachusetts: Newbury House
Publishers.
2. Trudgill, P. (2003). A Glossary of Sociolinguistics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh
University Press.
3. Kridalaksana, H. (1984). Kamus Linguistik. Jakarta : PT Gramedia.
4. Wardhaugh, R. (1986). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Oxford: Basil
Blackwell
5. Thomas P. K., Muriel R. S., & Angela D. V., Analyzing English Grammar.
Longman: 2007
6. Lewandowski, Marcin (2010). Sociolects and Registers – A Contrastive Analysis
of Two Kinds of Linguistic Variation. Investigationes Linguististicae, 4: 61-74.
7. Halliday, M.A.K. (1978). Language as Social Semiotic: The Social Interpretation
of Language and Meaning. London: Edward Arnold.
8. Smith, H. L (2008). Biculturalism in Encyclopedia of BILINGUAL EDUCATION
1&2. Ed by Josué M. Gonzàlez. Edition Sage.
9. Ovando, C.J (2008). Acculturation in Encyclopedia of BILINGUAL EDUCATION
1&2. Ed by Josué M. Gonzàlez. Edition Sage Préambule de la constitution (1996).