Analyze variation within a language; Look at differences between speech and writing, at variation in pronunciation between different social classes; Briefly discuss the linguistic study of social networks; Outline differences between men’s and women’s speech, Briefly mention multilingual communities; Provide suggestions for teachers on how to incorporate sociolinguistic investigations into classroom instruction.

1. CHAPTER 9:
LANGUAGE & SOCIETY
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AGA INSTITUTE
1
Course:
Applied Linguistics for Language
Teachers
MR.VATHVARY

2. 1-2
Learning Outcomes
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• Analyze variation within a language,
• Look at differences between speech
and writing, at variation in
pronunciation between different social
classes,
• Briefly discuss the linguistic study of
social networks,
• Outline differences between men’s and
women’s speech,
• Briefly mention multilingual
communities,
• Provide suggestions for teachers on
how to incorporate sociolinguistic
investigations into classroom
instruction.

3. 1-3
What is sociolinguistics?
Defined as the study of language
and society
Sociolinguists try to analyze the social
factors which lead to this diversity.
In brief, sociolinguists are interested in
language differences, and especially in
variation within a particular language
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4. 1-4
The Notion of a Language
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What is
language?
Can it be
equated with
nationality?
Should a
language be
define d by the
mutual
intelligibility of
its speakers?
Can it be
defined
geographic
ally?
The answer to all these questions appears to be ‘ NO ’ .

5. 1-5
The notion of a language
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Geographical definition:
• would separate Australian, British and American
English
Nationality is a vague notion which has little to do with
the language a person speaks.
• Ex. Numerous Russian Jews, regard themselves as
essentially Jewish, yet speak Russian.
Mutual intelligibility is of little help.
• Ex. a Glaswegian and a Cockney are likely to find it
harder to understand one another than a Dutchman
and a German who are considered to be speaking
distinct languages. Dutch and German are not only
mutually intelligible, they are also structurally more
alike

6. 1-6
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• Dutch and German
must be regarded as
separate languages,
• since, in spite of their
similarities, the Dutch
consider that they
speak Dutch and the
Germans consider
that they speak
German.
All the Chinese
dialects must be
classified as one
language because, in
spite of far-reaching
differences, their
speakers all consider
that they speak
Chinese.
Owing to the difficulty of defining a
‘language’, Sociolinguists prefer to start
with the notion of a speech community.
Speech community: any group of people who
consider that they speak the same language.

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Dialect
• is usually associated with
a particular geographical
area of Language, such as
dialects of English: Geordie
(spoken in Tyneside) and
Cockney (spoken in London)
• is far greater difference
(sound system, syntax and
vocabulary) than mere
pronunciation.
Accent
• refers only to a
difference in
pronunciation.
• A Scotsman and a
Londoner are likely
to speak English with
different accents.
• Within a speech community, there is
considerable language variation.The speech
of its members varies, including
geographical location, age, occupation,
socioeconomic status, ethnic group and sex.
Dialect and
Accent

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11. From high to low
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• More interesting to
sociolinguists is variation
within a single
geographical area.
• Let us begin by considering the stylistic
variation which exists in the speech of any
one person.
• Every native speaker is normally in command of several
different language styles, sometimes called registers , which
are varied according to the topic under discussion, the
formality of the occasion, and the medium used (speech,
writing or sign).
• This is of two main types:
• variation within the speech
of a single person,
• and variation between
people.

12. From high to low:
variation within the speech of a single person
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• Every native speaker normally controls several different
language styles (registers), which are varied according to
the topic under discussion, the formality of the occasion, and
the medium used (speech, writing or sign).
Adapting language to suit the
topic is a fairly straightforward
Matter. Many activities have a
specialized vocabulary:
 Play a ball game:‘zero’:
a duck in cricket, love in tennis,
and nil in soccer.
 Have a drink with friends in a
pub: Cheers! Here’s to your good
health!
• The same person might
utter as follows.
 I should be grateful if you
would make less noise.
 Please be quiet.
 Shut up!

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14. From high to low
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 the utterances range from a high (formal style) down to a
low (informal one).
 the choice of a high or low style is partly a matter of
politeness.
• Politeness is just one
component of
communicative
competence–,
knowing what to say
when (the appropriate
use of language).
 An inability to use
appropriate language
often makes a speaker
sound very funny
 the use of an
inappropriate register is
one source of humour in
English.

15. Speech versus Writing
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• Typical
differences
between
spoken and
written
language
The talk is shared
between two people.

16. Charting phonological variation
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• Speakers vary vocabulary,
syntax, as well as sound
structure (both between speakers
and within a single speaker).
• Phonological variation
taking place, when
speakers alter their
phonology to suit a
particular situation,
often without realizing it
[t]
• Few speakers of standard
British English realize that
in informal situations they
often Omit the [t] at the
end of words such as last
in phrases such as last
thing .
Examples [r]
• pronounce [r] in a word
such as farm when
chatting with friends at
home,
• but suppress [r] in a
formal interview in
London

17. Charting Phonological Variation
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American sociolinguist,William Labov
…
[r]
• examined the
pronunciation of
words such as car ,
park in NewYork.
NewYorkers
sometimes
pronounce an [r] in
these words, and
sometimes do not.
• Although he was unable to
tell which words were likely
to be pronounced with [r],
and which without, he found
that he could predict the
percentage of [r] sounds
which each socio-economic
class and each age group
would use in any given type
of speech.

18. Implication
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• The study of differing
pronunciations can
reveal social
stratification, and also
social aspirations,
since people
sometimes try to talk
like those they would
like to emulate.

19. Social networks?
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• when the same people tend towork, play and live
together.
• When people only have a small amount of
contact with any one network, in that they may live
in one area, work inanother, and travel elsewhere
for their social life
• Social network studies can provide a useful picture of
how members of a community interact with one
another.
The British linguists Jim and Lesley
Milroy pioneered the linguistic study of
social networks–groups of people who
regularly interact with one another.

20. Language and sex
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It is often assumed that women talk more than men, whereas
almost all research on the topic has demonstrated the opposite,
that men talk more than women.
• Western
world: women
speak closer
to the prestige
standard (i.e.
social
expectation)
• Women use more
‘hedges’, tentative
phrases: kind of,
sort of, instead of
straight
statements:
 Bill is kind of
short.
 Bill is short.
• Supportive speech
is more often
associated with
women than with
men.
• A question intonation
promotes the flow of
conversation. ‘It ’ s
cold today, isn’t it?

21. Power talking
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‘ Powerful’ speakers
typically control the
topic, interrupt others,
and demand explicit
explanations.
Ex. someone chairing a
meeting/ teaching a class.

22. Power talking
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• Men also issue more
direct orders.
• Ex. doctor –
patient: Lie down ’
,‘ Take off your
shoes and socks ’
Women preferred to phrase
commands as joint actions:
• ‘ Maybe we should just take the
top of your dress off? ’ ,
• ‘ Maybe what we ought to do is
stay with the dose you ’ re on, ’
and so on.
• Power talking may be used by either sex, though it is more
typically male. Male speakers not only talk more, they also
interrupt more, even though they may not perceive themselves as
doing so.

23. Incorporating Sociolinguistics
in the Language Classroom
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How can teachers incorporate
Sociolinguistics in the language
classroom?
How one speaks is a marker of identity, and
by affirming students’ home languages, we
affirm their identities.

24. Incorporating
Sociolinguistics
in the Language
Classroom:
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25. Incorporating Sociolinguistics
in the Language Classroom
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• Begin with
teachers’ own
evaluation of
their
ideologies
• Have the
students conduct
sociolinguistic
experiments of
their own.

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• Begin with
teachers’ own
evaluation of
their ideologies
• Think about all the different
registers, dialects, and
languages we speak.
• ESL students should know the textbook
might prescribe just one standard,
homogenous target language, but the
reality is that people speak differently.
• Teachers find/play video or audio clips
of speakers of the target language from
different areas of the world or country
and , ask students to identify differences
between the varieties as well as speaker
uses pf slang, abbreviations, and other
registers

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Have Ss conduct
sociolinguistic
experiments
(linguistic variation)
of their own.
• Have Ss
interview native
speakers,
• Have them read
something, or
• Elicit certain
responses.

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