Key Sociolinguistic Concepts: An Overview
This list highlights essential sociolinguistic terms, offering concise definitions to help students understand language's role in society, culture, and identity.
Introduction to Language, Culture, and Society
Key Terms:
Sociolinguistics: Study of the relationship between language and society, examining how social factors influence language use.Language: A system of communication through speech and writing.
Culture: The shared customs, values, and practices within a community, affecting language use.
Society: A group of individuals living together and interacting, often with shared institutions and norms.
Communities: Groups of people who interact and share linguistic norms.
Speech Communities: Groups of people who share the same language or dialect, often with a defined social function for language.
Social Identity: The identity a person assumes based on societal roles and group memberships.
Linguistic Anthropology: A branch that studies language in its cultural and social context.
Language and Power: The way language reflects, reinforces, or challenges social power structures.
Linguistic Variety and Speech Communities
Key Terms:
Linguistic Variety: Differences in language usage based on social, geographical, or contextual factors.
Dialect: A form of a language spoken in a specific geographical area or by a particular group.
Sociolect: A variety of language used by a particular social group.
Register: Variations in language use according to the context, such as formal or informal speech.
Pidgin: A simplified form of speech developed to communicate between groups without a common language.
Creole: A stable natural language developed from the mixing of different languages, often arising from pidgin.
Imagined Communities: Concept of communities imagined through shared language, practices, and identities.
Accent: The phonetic features that distinguish dialects of a language.
Multilingualism: The use of more than one language by individuals or communities.
The Relationship of Language and Culture
Key Terms:
Linguistic Relativity: The theory that language shapes thought and perception of reality (Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis).
Insider/Outsider: Social dynamics that differentiate those who are part of a group (insiders) from those who are not (outsiders).
Ethnography of Communication: The study of communication practices within their cultural context.
Cultural Context: The cultural background or environment in which communication takes place, affecting language use.
Language and Thought: The connection between the language we speak and the way we think.
Speech Act Theory: Examines how utterances can perform actions (e.g., promising, commanding).
Speech Style: The way an individual or community uses language based on social factors like age, gender, or status.
Language and Identity: How language serves as a marker for personal or group identity.
Language and Dialect, Social Variation
Key Terms:
Language Variation: Differences in language use across different social groups, regions, or contexts.
Sociolinguistic Variation: The study of how language varies based on social factors such as class, ethnicity, gender, etc.
Standard Language: The form of a language that is codified and accepted as the norm for official use.
Non-standard Language: Varieties of language that deviate from the standard but are equally valid in informal contexts.
Social Class and Language: The study of how different social classes use language in distinct ways.
Gender and Language: The relationship between language use and gender identity, including differences in speech patterns.
Language Prestige: The perceived social status of a language or dialect.
Code-Switching: The practice of alternating between two or more languages or dialects in conversation.
Dialectology: The study of dialects and their geographical distribution.
Language and Solidarity
Key Terms:
Solidarity: The sense of community or connection within a group, often reflected in language use.
In-group/Out-group: The social dynamics of inclusion and exclusion based on language and other factors.
Politeness Theory: A theory that examines how speakers manage social relationships through language, especially politeness.
Speech Acts: A communicative act that carries out a function (e.g., requesting, apologizing).
T/V Distinction: The distinction between formal and informal address forms in languages (e.g., French tu vs. vous).
Community of Practice: A group of people who share a common interest and language practices that bind them together.
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis and Diglossia
Key Terms:
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: The idea that the structure of a language influences its speakers' worldview and cognition.
Diglossia: A situation where two dialects or languages are used by a community in different contexts (e.g., a high, formal variety for certain situations and a low, informal variety for others).
Language Shift: The process through which a community shifts from using one language to another.
Bilingualism: The ability to speak two languages fluently.
Multilingualism: The ability to speak several languages.
Diglossia Continued
Key Terms:
High Variety: The formal, prestigious variety of a language used in specific social contexts.
Low Variety: The informal, everyday variety of a language used in casual settings.
Code-Switching in Diglossic Communities: The practice of switching between high and low varieties depending on the situation.
Language Domains: The contexts in which specific language varieties are used, such as family, education, or government.
Language Varieties: Pidgin, Creole, Register
Key Terms:
Pidginization: The process through which a pidgin develops.
Creolization: The process through which a pidgin becomes a fully developed creole.
Register: A variety of language used in a particular social setting or context.
Lingua Franca: A language that is used as a common means of communication between speakers of different native languages.
Jargon: Specialized vocabulary used by particular groups, often related to their profession or interests.
Language Varieties: Jargon, Slang, Style
Key Terms:
Jargon: Language used by specific groups, often technical or professional.
Argot: A specialized language used by subcultures, often with a focus on secrecy.
Slang: Informal, often playful language used by specific groups.
Style: The characteristic way in which language is used, often based on context and audience.
Depidginization and Decreolization
Key Terms:
Depidginization: The process by which a pidgin language loses its simplified features and develops into a fully functional language.
Decreolization: The process by which a creole language loses its distinct features and starts to resemble the language of the colonizers.
Bilingualism and Multilingualism: The study of societies and individuals who use multiple languages.
Code-Switching, Code-Mixing, Borrowing
Key Terms:
Code-Mixing: The mixing of elements from two or more languages in the same conversation.
Borrowing: The process by which one language adopts words or expressions from another language.
Language Interference: The effect that one language has on another when speakers switch or mix languages.
Spoken Language and Oral Culture
Key Terms:
Spoken Language: Language used in oral communication.
Oral Culture: A culture in which communication is primarily oral rather than written.
Speech Acts: The actions performed through language, such as requests, commands, or assertions.
Language and Cultural Identity
Key Terms:
Cultural Identity: The identity of a group based on shared cultural and linguistic practices.
Language and Identity: The role of language in shaping personal and group identities.
Cultural Stereotypes: Oversimplified and often biased perceptions of a group based on cultural or linguistic traits.
Language Crossing and Identity
Key Terms:
Language Crossing: The act of adopting a language variety not typically associated with one's social identity.
Ethnic Identity: A person’s sense of belonging to a particular ethnic group, often expressed through language.
Performativity: The idea that language constructs identity and reality through speech.
Final Review and Reflection
Key Terms:
Language Policy: Policies that govern the use of languages in a country or region.
Language Planning: The process of developing and implementing language policies.
Language Maintenance: Efforts to preserve and continue the use of a language.
Language Shift: The process by which one language replaces another in a community.
