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What do Sociolinguists do? 1

Sociolinguists study the relationship between language and society, identifying linguistic variations and the social factors that influence language use. They explore how language conveys social meaning in different contexts.

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What do Sociolinguists do? 1

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  1. What do Sociolinguists do? 1 “Sociolinguists study the relationship between language and society. They 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.” Holmes, Janet. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 2nd edition. London: Longman, 2001, p. 1. 1/8

  2. What do Sociolinguists do? 2 1. “Identify clearly the linguistic variation involved (e.g. vocabulary, sounds, grammatical constructions, dialects, languages)” 2. “Identify clearly the different social or non-linguistic factors which lead speakers to use one form rather than another (e.g. features relating to participants, setting or function of the interaction).” Holmes, Janet. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 2nd edition. London: Longman, 2001, p. 11. 2/8

  3. Sociolinguistic Relativity “The patterns and conventions of language behavior, known as sociolinguistic rules or rules of speaking…are far from universal across cultural groups…. The norms and values which inform speakers’ knowledge as to what is appropriate to say to whom, and under which conditions, show considerable variation from community to community around the world, not only from one language group to another but within language groups as well.” Wolfson, Nessa. Perspectives: Sociolinguistics and TESOL. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publisher, 1989, p. 14. 3/8

  4. Factors in Sociolinguistic Variation (Alternative to SPEAKING Model) 1. Participants: Who is speaking to whom? 2. Setting: Where are they speaking? 3. Topic: Whatis being talked about? 4. Function: Why are they speaking? 5. When 6. How Holmes, Janet. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 2nd edition. London: Longman, 2001, p. 8. 4/8:6

  5. Social Dimensions Social Distance Scale—high/low solidarity Status Scale—high/low status Formality Scale—high/low formality Functional Scales Referential—high/low information content Affective—low/high affective content Holmes, Janet. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 2nd edition. London: Longman, 2001, pp. 9-10. 5/8:6

  6. Learner’s Responsibility  Learn EXPLICITLY about YOUR OWN culture's Sociolinguistic Rules so you can become more sensitive to others.  Learn / Internalize the Sociolinguistic Rules of TARGET culture so maybe you can avoid GIVING Offense AND TAKING Offense.  Learn about CULTURE SHOCK (at least some aspects of it) better 6/8

  7. Language Teacher's Responsibility 1 “It is not the responsibility of the language teacher [as] linguist to enforce Anglo-Saxon standards of behavior, linguistic or otherwise. Rather, it is the teacher's job to equip the student to express her/himself in exactly the way s/he chooses to do so—rudely, tactfully, or in an elaborately polite manner. (Thomas 1983:96)” Wolfson, Nessa. Perspectives: Sociolinguistics and TESOL. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publisher, 1989, p. 31. 7/8

  8. Language Teacher's Responsibility 2 “What we want to prevent is her/his being unintentionally rude or subservient. It may, of course, behoove the teacher to point out the likely consequences of certain types of linguistic behavior. (Thomas 1983:96)" Wolfson, Nessa. Perspectives: Sociolinguistics and TESOL. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publisher, 1989, p. 31. 8/8

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