Sociolinguistics
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Transcript of Sociolinguistics
LI 2023 NATHALIE F. MARTIN
SOCIOLINGUISTICS
Sociolinguistics
Related to ___________.Relates __________phenomenon and _____
phenomenon.
Human side of linguistics … __________: individual and collective What is truly said behind our « way » of saying
it ..
__________: Our use of language and other’s use of language
Languages & Diaclects
Could it be that the way we speak creates social __________?
Do we place different « ways » of speaking on a __________?Language … dialect Language … dialect
Are there languages/dialects that we consider more __________or __________? Ex: French, Swahili ...
What did you Answer …
DISCUSSION:
To speak of your own linguistic competence?Which region could serve as a model of
proper English?
How do we call it? What terminology do we use to speak of linguistic variation?1.LANGUAGES2.DIALECTS3.PIDGINS4.CREOLE
Terminology used to speak of linguistic variation?
A Language
Language: A code or system, used by consensus. Collective Ex: French, English, Spanish, Greek, etc.
Dialects or Varieties of a Language
Dialect/Variety - includes pronunciation (phonological/phonetic), but also includes grammatical, lexical and language usage Some examples of homophones for some -- hock/hawk,
caller/collar, cot/caught, Don/Dawn
Variety - used as a more neutral term for dialect or language
Pidgin
Pidgin: speakers of a different languageintergroup communication; no native speakers (because the speakers
have their own language that they speak in their homes)
reduced grammatical system.
Ex: Traverler’s use of another language
Creole
Defined in it’s political and historic context Colonialism and slavery
Derived from colonial languages: French (Haiti), English (Jamaica), Netherlands (South Africa), Portugeese (Cap Vert) Spanish (Philippines)
Contact with African languages (mostly)Oral languages, vernacular
NOTE: Creoles are considered languages in their own right.
Creole (continued)
Here are a few examples of French Creoles:
Statement: « I don’t know where he is. »
French: «Je ne sais pas où il est» M’pas kome (ki) koté li yé (haïtien) Moin pa sav ola i yé (guadeloupéen) Mi koné pas ousa i lé (réunionnais) Mo pa koné li été (mauricien)
Consider spoken French (Acadian): Mwa, j’sé pa ous qui é. Mwa, j’connais pa a yous qui é.
CODE SWITCHING VS. CODE MIXINGBORROWING
Terminology used to speak of
Languages in contact?
Languages in Contact
Code Switching or Code mixing: The systematic alternation between language systems
in discourse.
Borrowing: A source of language change that involves adopting
aspects of one language into another.
What about Chiac
Video : Chiac pour les Dummies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q9BqfXyx4k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRgbpIQU1hw
VERNACULAR LANGUAGESVEHICULAR LANGUAGES
Terminology used to speak of a language’s/dialect’s
functions
Vernacular Languages
Vernacular: a variety of a given language often limited to _________within the _________ (not often written).
Example: Chiac is a vernacular language of francophones living in the south-east region of NB.
Vehicular Languages
Vehicular : a language used to assure ______________between many groups of differing tongues.
For example: American English is a vehicular language
throughout the world at present. Wolof is the vehicular language of Senegal, West
Africa.
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS AS HONESTLY AS POSSIBLE
Evaluating a Speaker
Evaluating Speakers
What is your impression of this speaker? Education? Profession? Social class?
Describe the character of this person? Friendly? Honest? Intelligent? Proud/ arrogant? Etc.
Perceptions, Presuppositions and
Prejudice
Language Myths
What is "proper Englishproper English"? What is the most prestigious pronunciationprestigious pronunciation? Is there a right way right way and a wrong way wrong way to speak ?
Sociolinguists often want to know two things:1. How do you perceive __________________?2. How do you perceive __________________?
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vF9g37FCmk
(AMERICAIN TONGUES) 6:18 min
SOCIOLINGUIST:WILLIAM LABOV
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IN NEW-YORK’S DEPARTMENT STORES.
Prestigious Pronunciation?
Prestigous Pronunciation
Hypothesis: Is there a correlation between the
pronunciation of the words with the sound /r/ and New-Yorker’s social classes.
According to Labov, many individuals that are part of the upper class tend to pronounce the final /r/ in words like car, card, four, et fourth.
Labov (3)
Employees of three New-York departement stores Upper: Saks Fifth Avenue Middle : Macy's Lower: S. Klein
Asked them a question to which the answer would be « fourth floor » in order to determine their pronunciation of the final /r/.
Labov: Résultats
Results : 62% of the
employees at Saks pronounce the /r/,
51% at Macy's;20% at Klein.
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Saks Macy's Klein
/ r/prononcé
1. REAL PRONUNCIATION VS. PERCEIVED PRONUNCIATION
2. SEEKING THE PRESTIGIOUS PRONUNCIATION
3. CONSEQUENCE OF LINGUISTIC INSECURITY
Linguistic Insecurity
Prestigious PronunciationsPeter Trudgill, Norwich (Great Brittan)
Study of the pronunciation of the words:tune, student, music
These words have variants in Norwich:/ju:/ et /u:/
Ex: /tju:n/ (considered more prestigious) /tu:n/ (considered less prestigious)
Prestigious PronunciationsPeter Trudgill, Norwich (Great Brittan)
Two steps in this study: 1.Ask the people to pronounce the words
(transcribe the actual pronunciation)
2.Then ask the people what they _______they pronounce.
Trudgill: Results
Those who say that they pronounce /ju:/ (considered more prestigious)
Those who say that they pronounce /u:/
Those that actually pronounce /ju:/ (considered more prestigious)
6060 4040 =100=100
Those that actually pronounce /u:/ 1616 8484 =100=100
Trudgill: Interpretation
40% of the people who actually use the prestigious pronunciation seemed to have “under-evaluated” their pronunciation.
16% of the people who used that less prestigious pronunciation had a tendency to “over-evaluate” their pronunciation.
Trudgill: Men vs. Women
Trudgill then analysed the results in light of SEXES :
Total Men Women
Over evaluate
13 0 29
Under evaluate
7 6 7
Right perception
80 94 64
Trudgill: Interpretation
Sociolinguistics now wants to explain these results. As opposed to « descriptive linguistics » that only seeks to describe.
Trudgill’s interpretation in view of sociological findings:Women:
Are more preoccupied with the desire to adopt what is promoted as a more socially acceptable behaviour, in this case, language.
“women are more likely to have social class aspirations than men”
Men: Do not tend to desire to adopt what is promoted as a more
socially acceptable behaviour, in this case, language.
Trudgill: Interpretation (2)
Linguistic security vs. insecurity.
Linguistic insecurity : The anxiety ______________ __________ experienced by speakers and writers who believe that their use of language does not conform to the principles and practices of __________________(e.g. Standard English).
Video : Learning not to Tawk Like a New
Yorker
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/11/19/nyregion/1248069311927/you-talkin-to-me.html
Linguistic insecurity
Possible effects of linguistic insecurity: False perceptions Loss of confidence to speak given language Hypercorrection:
“You and I” “Whomever”
Loss of desire to speak given language Language transfer
Loss of identity
Effects on others
Acadian Teachers: Boudreau & Dubois
Professors at Université de Moncton, did a similar experiment.
Future teachers:Results:
The more there is intense language contact, the more Acadians are insecure about their language.