Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics Study Notes
Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics
Each handbook in this series provides a comprehensive overview of a significant sub-discipline in language study and research.
The handbooks are organized into broad thematic areas, highlighting key issues and topics.
The series aims to integrate the discipline of language studies into a coherent overview.
Published Titles
The Cambridge Handbook of Phonology - Edited by Paul de Lacy
The Cambridge Handbook of Linguistic Code-switching - Edited by Barbara E. Bullock and Almeida Jacqueline Toribio
The Cambridge Handbook of Child Language - Edited by Edith L. Bavin
The Cambridge Handbook of Endangered Languages - Edited by Peter K. Austin and Julia Sallabank
The Cambridge Handbook of Sociolinguistics - Edited by Rajend Mesthrie
Cambridge University Press Information
Location: Cambridge, England
Additional publishing locations: New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Tokyo, Mexico City.
First publication: 2011
ISBN: 978-0-521-89707-5 Hardback
Copyright Notice: As per statutory exceptions and collective licensing agreements, reproduction of any part requires written permission of Cambridge University Press.
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Contributors
Preface and Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction: The Sociolinguistic Enterprise by Rajend Mesthrie
Part I: Foundations of Sociolinguistics
Power, Social Diversity, and Language by John Baugh
Linguistic Anthropology: The Study of Language as a Non-neutral Medium by Alessandro Duranti
The Social Psychology of Language: A Short History by W. Peter Robinson and Abigail Locke
Orality and Literacy in Sociolinguistics by Lowry Hemphill
Sign Languages by Robert Bayley and Ceil Lucas
Part II: Interaction, Style, and Discourse
Conversation and Interaction by Cynthia Gordon
Pragmatics and Discourse by Jan Blommaert
The Sociolinguistics of Style by Nikolas Coupland
Part III: Social and Regional Dialectology
Language, Social Class, and Status by Gregory R. Guy
Language and Region by William A. Kretzschmar, Jr.
Language and Place by Barbara Johnstone
Language, Gender, and Sexuality by Natalie Schilling
Language and Ethnicity by Carmen Fought
Linguistic Anthropology
3.1 Introduction
Origin: Developed in late 19th century, linked to documenting North American Indian languages.
Key Figure: Franz Boas, pivotal in shaping American anthropology and advocating for language study's empirical importance.
Focus: Boas emphasized studying unwritten languages as vital to understanding human uniqueness.
Structure: Linguistic anthropology comprises one of four anthropological subfields: physical (biological) anthropology, archaeology, ethnology (sociocultural anthropology).
3.2 Ontological Commitments
Definition: Ontology of language refers to the foundational theory of the nature of language.
Commitment: Linguistic anthropologists share core beliefs that language embodies specific characteristics.
Characteristics of Language:
It is a code that represents experience.
It serves as a form of social organization.
It acts as a system of differentiation.
3.3 Commitment to Study Language as a Non-Neutral Code
Language is viewed as a sign system expressing meanings across forms (sounds, written, gestures).
Definitions of meanings vary among anthropologists (intentions vs conventions).
Agreement: Language influences categorization and conceptualization of the world.
Classificatory Biases
Language constrains interpretations; earlier statements by Herder and Humboldt recognized language's impact on worldview.
Boas argued languages inherently classify experiences differently; examples include English's diverse terms for water versus Native American languages' unified terminology.
Principle of Linguistic Relativity
Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf contributed to this by asserting language influences cognition and categorization. Whorf emphasized that linguistic structures impact perception and interpretation.
3.3.2 Habituation
Reflexivity: Humans can reflect on their language usage. This property allows individuals to gain new perspectives based on different linguistic environments.
Language as Habit: Language attendance is largely unconscious and routine.
Language Socialization: Continuous exposure to new communicative contexts influences one’s linguistic habits.
Overcoming Linguistic Bias
Reflexivity and ongoing language socialization provide means to surpass inherent biases.
3.4 Language as a Form of Social Organization
Discussion around language shifted towards understanding how discourse acts as a social tool.
Ludwig Wittgenstein and J.L. Austin: Their works emphasized action-based language use as critical in understanding social interaction.
Conversation Analysis
Shows how language is governed by chat-specific rules while allowing for individual flexibility.
Principles of interaction crucial for successful conversational exchanges were delineated.
Genres and Registers
Genres shape social expectations within interactions. Each genre operates with distinct social structures and communicative requirements.
Registers represent specific linguistic styles associated with social contexts and roles, with implications in various communication scenarios.
3.5 Language as a System of Differentiation
Research focuses on how language distinguishes social status and identities among speakers, utilizing language ideologies significantly since the 1980s.
Language Ideologies
Beliefs about language structure influence social interpretations leading to ideological stances.
3.6 Conclusions
Continuity and Discontinuity: Linguistic anthropology's evolving understanding illustrates the amending and enriching view on language as non-neutral, essential for societal functioning.