topic 2 sociolinguistics and its research methods(1)

the Sociology of Language: is trying to discover how social structure can be better understood through the study of language, e.g., how certain linguistic features serve to characterize particular social arrangements.
3. Adolescence: the models are now other adolescents, but the foundations of language have already been laid --- for most people it is too late to learn a new language or dialect perfectly. 4. Adulthood: the models are other adults, with current adolescents as a potential source of inspiration (or offence).
2.4 Sociolinguistic phenomena
1. An imaginary world --- an ideal one
society: clearly defined boundary language: everybody speaks the same language What would be the consequences?
2. the sociolinguistic development of
the child (p.14)
the linguistic models which the child follows: (Chambers, 1995) ---- four life-phases 1. Babyhood: the models are parents and other carers, who use ‘baby-talk’. 2. Childhood: the models are other children of the same age or somewhat older.
2.2 Sociolinguistics and Linguistics
linguistics: taking account only of the structure of language and working out the rules of language X. (the exclusion of the social contexts in which language is learned and used) sociolinguistics: studying any points at which those rules make contact with society. (speech has a social function.)
2. A real but exotic world --- northwest
Amazon (half in Brazil and half in Colombia) 20 tribes divided into 5 phratries 1. each tribe a different language 2. the five phratries are exogamous(异族通婚 的) 3. marriage is patrilocal (婚后居住在男方的) and the wife should use the husband’s language a very complicated case
2) Agreement is often found among speakers. The degree of similarity generally found between speakers goes well beyond what is needed for efficient communication. Examples: a. the continued existence of such irregularities of verbs; (go—goed ~go-- went) b. swearing words. (shit; damn; fuck…)
Topic 2. Sociolinguistics & its Research Methods
March 8th, 2010 谢聪
2.1 Sociolinguistics
2.1.1 A Description Sociolinguistics is defined as the study of language in relation to society. A society is any group of people who are drawn together for a certain purpose or purposes. A language is what the members of a particular society speak.
Sociolinguistics: is concerned with investigating the relationships between language and society with the goal being a better understanding of the structure of language and of how languages function in communication. (Wardhaugh)
The individual speaker is presumably moulded by experience. The person constructs a more or less unconscious mental map of the community in which they live. Individuals filter their experience of new situations through their existing map and two people could both hear the same person talking, but be affected in different way. Each person’s speech is an act of identity.
3. different subjects
written language v.s. Both written &amttitudes to language research ideal v.s. Not ideal
2.3 Sociolinguistics and the Sociology of Language
3. A real and familiar world --the world where we grew up
Ideal Exotic There is much to say about our own language in relation to society Keep our own background in mind, and see how these research projects could be carried out in our language
FOCUSSING and DIFFUSION （p.13） ） Focussing is found where there is a high degree of contact among speakers and agreement on linguistic norms, and is typical of very closely knit small communities. Diffusion is found where neither of these conditions holds, an extreme example being Romany, the gipsy language.
Most of the growth in the sociolinguistics has taken place since the late 1960s. a. the study of language in relation to society began earlier; b. the study of dialects and relations between word-meanings & culture has a longer tradition （p.1）
2.1.2 Sociolinguistics is partly empirical and partly theoretical. 1. the empirical part: going out and amassing bodies of fact; 2. the theoretical part: sitting back and thinking an analytical framework (the armchair approach) However, for sociolinguistics, the armchair approach is dangerous for two reasons! P1
2.5 Speakers and Communities
1. Individualism and Conformity 1) the uniqueness of each person
Society consists of individuals, so it is essential to keep individuals firmly in the centre of interest. Individual speakers are important in sociolinguistics: a. like the individual cell is important in biology; b. No two speakers have the same language because no two speakers have the same experience of language.（p.11）
An imaginary world---consequences
1. language change is thereby ruled out. 2. circumstances have no influence on people’s language---both content and form 3. no connection between the culture of the community and the meanings of its language (p.5-6) a fictitious one
traditional linguistics v.s.sociolinguistics 1. different emphasis language norms v.s. Language variations
2. different research methods armchair approach v.s. empirical subjective observation prescriptive descriptive