Sociolinguistics Lecture Notes

A set of flashcards summarizing key concepts from sociolinguistics lecture notes.

What is the definition of sociolinguistics?

The study of language in its social context.

What are the two scales of sociolinguistic analysis?

Macro (larger scale–societies, communities) and Micro (smaller scale–everyday conversations).

What is qualitative analysis in sociolinguistics?

Understanding 'why' and 'how' behind language use through observation and conversation.

What is quantitative analysis in sociolinguistics?

Measuring patterns and frequencies in language use through statistical data.

What does the sociology of language investigate?

How society affects language.

What is the ethnography of communication?

How language is used in real social contexts.

What does language variation and change study?

How language differs and evolves over time.

Define language ideology.

A system of beliefs, assumptions, and attitudes people have about language.

What is prescriptivism in linguistics?

Value judgments about language that enforce good and bad ways of language use.

What is descriptivism in linguistics?

Describing how people actually use language without judging it as right or wrong.

What is a marker in sociolinguistics?

Any indicator that helps us determine/judge/evaluate others.

What are the three types of language symbols?

Icon (direct similarity), Index (indicates relation), Symbol (arbitrary).

What is language standardization?

Eliminating variation through codification.

What are overt and covert prestige in language?

Overt prestige is standard formal speech with high status, while covert prestige is solidarity and identity valued within a local group.

What is speech accommodation?

The process of adjusting speech style to match or differ from the audience.

Define social identity.

The way people define themselves and are recognized by others.

What is communication competence?

Using language effectively and appropriately in communication.

What is diglossia?

A situation where one language has a high variety and another has a low variety in asymmetrical and stable societies.

What is code-switching?

Altering language based on context such as interlocutor, relationship, topic, channel, or social role.

What is the significance of maintaining multilingualism?

It involves factors like demographics, marriage, status, institutional styles, official support, and core cultural values.

What does language conflict refer to?

When one language is in a weaker position and losing ground to a stronger language.

What are the three main responses to language conflict?

1) Stand Your Ground, 2) Assimilate to Majority, 3) Official Multilingualism.

What is the difference between status planning and corpus planning?

Status planning determines language role/status by government, whereas corpus planning focuses on how the language should look and its standardization.

What is the instrumental view of language?

Language is viewed as a tool for communication.

What is the sociolinguistic view of language?

Language is used to express identity, relationships, and social meaning.

What are the purposes of multilingual education programs?

1) Enrichment, 2) Compensation, 3) Language Maintenance/Re-aeration.

What does school diglossia refer to?

Using different languages for different educational purposes, with less dominant languages for softer subjects.

Define positive and negative face.

Positive face refers to the desire for cooperation and being liked, while negative face refers to the desire for autonomy and individuality.

What is euphemism in language?

Softening taboo language or harsh expressions.

What is the role of slang in language?

A lower level of the neutral language used in very informal situations among groups.