Transcript Document

Chapter 8 Sociolinguistics
the ninth week
Teaching Content
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Language Variety
Key points
The definition of sociolinguistics
Register
Dialects
Pidgins and creoles
Difficult points
Register
Creole
8.1 Introduction
Definition: Sociolinguistics is the study
of language in relation to society. It
studies how social factors influence
the structure and use of language.
8.2 Language Varieties
Language variety refers to the various
forms of language triggered by social
factors.
Language may changes from region to
region, from one social class to
another, from individual to individual,
and from situation to situation. This
actual changes result in the varieties
of language.
Thus, language varieties cover:
Standard language
Dialects
Registers
Pidgins
creoles
8.2.1 Standard language
For social political reasons, a variety of
language may be officially elevated as
the national language, such a
language variety is called standard
language. In China, putonghua is
respected as the standard language;
in Britain, the Received Pronunciation
(RP) the SL, and in USA, Standard
American English (SAE) the SL.
Nature of SL
It is so called standard literally, but just
as what the definition suggests, it is a
variety of language, so it is also
termed as standard variety /dialect.
Linguistically, SL has no prestigious or
dominant status; nothing special with
it. When socially interfered, a variety
of lge has the luck to rise to be SL.
8.2.2 Dialects
A variety of a language used recognizably
in a specific region or by a specific
social class is called a dialect.
The study of dialect is called dialectology.
Dialect and accent: language and
pronunciation and vocabulary.
Dialects are categorized into 4 types
1. Regional / geographical dialects: varieties
of a language spoken in a geographical
area.
2. Temporal dialects: varieties of a
language used at particular stages in its
historical development.
3. Social dialects/sociolects: varieties of a
language used by people belonging to
particular social classes.
4. Idiolects: varieties of a language used by
individual speakers, with peculiarities of
pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.
There are 8 general regional dialects.
Speech community: a group of people
sharing one given language or dialect.
It ranges from a country to an individual.
Sociolects, related to formality of
speech, are catergorized as high and
low sociolect.
The formal speech is higher sociolect
and the informal lower sociolect.
8.2.3 Registers
Registers are varieties of language used in
different situations, which are identified by
the degrees of formality.
The addresses on the NPC is a formal
register; a talk between friends is an
informal register.
The intentional mixture of different registers
arouses conversational implicatures.
Registers can vary from vocabulary,
phonology, grammar to semantics.
The register theory by Halliday:
Register is determined by 3 factors:
field of discourse: what is being discussed
mode of discourse: oral or written
tenor of discourse: relation between participants
The 3 variables determine the features of
language fit with the situation. When fitted, the
right register turns up.
8.2.4 Pidgins and creoles
Pidgin: a mixed lge with a small
vocabulary and a simple grammar
used by speakers of two lges to
communicate. So it is also called
contact language.
Two features of pidgin lges:
1. A pidgin has no native speakers.
2. It is a simplified lge with reduced
vocabulary and grammar.
e.g. Long time no see.
Creole:
When a pidgin begins to acquire native
speakers who use it as their primary
lge, the pidgin turns to be a creole.
The process by which a pidgin develops
is called pidginization; the process by
which a pidgin becomes a creole is
called creolization.
Black slaves speaking African dialects
communicated with the people
speaking French or English in the
plantations in the South America. The
linguistic means of communication is
called a pidgin. Pidginization happens
there, and later the pidginization is
widely accepted, then creolization
happens. That is the Haitian Creole.
Lingua franca
When more and more speakers of a
creole adopt it as their everyday lge,
the creole becomes standardized, or
a lingua franca. The process is
termed as decreolization.
Language Planning
There are various regional or social
varieties in a country, which needs a
systematic attempt to solve the
communication problem. The policy
designed for the proper selection and
appropriate use of these varieties is called
lge planning.
Putonghua is one of the results of lge
planning. Yuwen course set in the Chinese
schools is another.
Lge planning into 2 kinds:
1. Status planning: changes the
function of a variety and the right of
those who use it.
Regional dialect is prohibited in class
in China; Chinese was banned in
class when Japan occupied the
Northeast China.
2. Corpus planning seeks to develop a
variety of lge, usu. to standardize it.
There are many lges in Canada, but
only english and French were
standardized.
There are many dialects in China,
only the mixture of Beijing and NE
dialects is corpus planned.
Exercises:
Question 3 and 4 on Page 212
Thank you!