sociolinguistics

LI 2023 NATHALIE F. MARTIN

SOCIOLINGUISTICS

BEFORE WE START

DESCRIBE THESE LANGUAGES:• ENGLISH• FRENCH• MANDARIN• ARABIC• PUNJABI• SWAHILI

Sociolinguistics

Related to _________.Relates ________ phenomenon and ________ phenomenon.

Sociolinguistics

Human side of linguistics … ________: individual and collectiveWhat 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 …

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.

Creole (continued)

Lobi love Bigi big Lafu laugh Mofo mouth Ini in

Tapu topLuku lookAbi haveFutu footSeni sendLeni lend

Here are a few examples of an English Creole - Sranan:

CODE SWITCHING VS. CODE MIXINGBORROWING

Terminology used to speak of

Languages in contact?

Languages in Contact

Code Switching:The systematic alternation between language systems in discourse.

Also called “code mixing”

Code Switching

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgWQoZz6nEk

What About Chiac?

Video : Chiac pour les Dummies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q9BqfXyx4k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRgbpIQU1hw

Languages in Contact

Borrowing:A source of language change that involves adopting aspects of one language into another.

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?

Perceptions, Presuppositions and

Prejudice

Stereotypes

HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=_VF9G37FCMK

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 your way of speakingyour way of speaking?2. How do you perceive others way of speakingothers way of speaking?

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 ___, ___, ___, et _____.

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 «  ________  » 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 PRONUNCIATION3. 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 _______pronunciation seemed to have “________” their pronunciation.

16% of the people who used that ____ ____ ____pronunciation had a tendency to “________” 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: Interpretation

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”

Trudgill: Interpretation

Trudgill’s interpretation in view of sociological findings:

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.

WHAT HAVE YOU ANSWERED?

Questionnaires