Introduction: The acquisition of sociolinguistic competence (original) (raw)
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SOCIOLINGUISTICS AND LANGUAGE VARIATIONS
LangLit, 2016
It is the descriptive study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations and context, on the way language is used, and the effects of language use on society, particularly how language operates within and creates social structures. Studies in sociolinguistic explore the commonplace observations that everyone does not speak a language in the same way, that we alter our speech to accommodate our audience and that we recognize members and non-members of our communities via speech. Many sociolinguists have disagreed arguing that a sociolinguistics is scarcely worthwhile and that meaningful insight into language can be gained only if such matters as use and variation are included as part of the data which must be explained in a comprehensive theory of language; such a theory of language must have something to say about the uses of language. Sociolinguistics is a developing branch of linguistics and sociology which examines the individual and social variation of language (Spolsky,2010). It is the descriptive study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations and context, on the way language is used, and the effects of language use on society, particularly how language operates within and creates social structures. Sociolinguists differ from sociology of language in that the focus of sociolinguistics is the effect of the society on the language, while the sociology of language focuses on language"s effect on the society (Bell, 1976) Studies in sociolinguistic explore the commonplace observations that everyone does not speak a language in the same way, that we alter our speech to accommodate our audience and that we recognize members and non-members of our communities via speech. Just as regional variation of language can give a lot of information about the place the speaker is from, social variation tells about the roles performed by a given speaker within one community. (Spolsky,2010) SOCIOLINGUISTICS: DEFINING THE CONCEPT There are numerous definitions of sociolinguistics. However, each of these definitions does not fail to acknowledge that sociolinguistics has to do with language use and a society"s response to it. Let us examine some of them. 1. The study of the link between language and society, of language variation and of attitudes about language (Spolsky 2010)
2014
This volume collects seven papers in contemporary sociophonetic research. It addresses hot themes in sociophonetics and proposes a fresh look at old problems still open to debate. A variety of approaches is proposed without neglecting the need for a coherent discussion of the nature of variation in speech and how speakers develop a cognitive representation of it. These characteristics distinguish the present volume from the panorama of comparable sociophonetic literature, which mainly consists of textbooks, readers, and journal special issues (as well as individual journal articles, conference proceedings, and informal reports). , contemporary sociophonetics and sociophonology differ from early variationist sociolinguistics for their focus on the cognitive representation of phonetic variation in the mind of the individual. Stated differently, the fundamental purpose of sociophonetic studies should be that of analyzing how the concrete communicative experiences are categorized by the speakers and, most importantly, of establishing the function of such complex nucleus of information in the structuring of linguistic systems. The fusion of sociolinguistics and phonetics occurs therefore within a cognitivist perspective in which the probabilistic nature of the language and the interest for the processes of language use and comprehension play a special role.
Sociolinguistics I Variationist Theory
Introduce and discuss two traditional social groupings (e.g. social class, ethnicity, race, gender, occupation) that have been used to understand and measure language variation and change. Explain how they are thought to relate to LVC, and discuss pros and cons of using such social groupings. Next, discuss several sources that draw on newer understandings of localized identity (e.g. community of practice, linguistic marketplace, style groups, etc.). Explain how they contrast with the two traditional social-group approaches in terms of data, participants and analytic approach, and discuss their significance for language variation and change.
An Interactional Sociolinguistics Approach to SLA
This paper explores 11 published articles and one textbook reference that examine how effective interactional and sociocultural pedagogical strategies work in the classroom from studies by qualified researchers in the SLA field. These studies provide insight on different types of second language acquisition teaching strategies. Collectively, they share similar a preference that indicates a favorable impression on the Sociocultural Theory of this research paper: an enriched second language acquisition environment that is more effective than strictly using the conventional psycholinguistic approach. Conclusively, this paper focuses on a synthesized analysis of sociocultural discourse and research outcomes, as well as their pedagogical implications.
Analysing Sociolinguistic Variation
2006
The study of how language varies in social context, and how it can be analyzed and accounted for, are the key goals of sociolinguistics. Until now, however, the actual tools and methods have been largely passed on through 'word of mouth', rather than being formally documented. This is the first comprehensive 'how to' guide to the formal analysis of sociolinguistic variation. It shows step-by-step how the analysis is carried out, leading the reader through every stage of a research project from start to finish. Topics covered include fieldwork, data organization and management, analysis and interpretation, presenting research results, and writing up a paper. Practical and informal, the book contains all the information needed to conduct a fully-fledged sociolinguistic investigation, and includes exercises, checklists, references and insider tips. It is set to become an essential resource for students, researchers and fieldworkers embarking on research projects in soci...
Bridging the gap between language acquisition and sociolinguistics
De Vogelaer, Gunther & Matthias Katerbow. Acquiring sociolinguistic variation., 2017
Despite repeated calls for in-depth research, the acquisition of patterns of sociolinguistic variation has long been an underinvestigated topic both in sociolinguistics and in language acquisition research. With the exception of a few exploratory studies, most notably Labov (1964), it has long been rare for sociolinguistic research to focus on non-adults, whereas most research on language acquisition tended to take place in a sociolinguistic vacuum (see, e.g. Mills 1985:142 and Labov 1989:96 for statements to this effect). Over the last few years, however, the situation seems to be changing. Two reasons may be given for this: first, and quite trivially perhaps, technical advancements are making it possible to gather, store and explore data in cheap and efficient ways, providing researchers with the necessary data to conduct empirically sound research on the topic. And second, parallel to a paradigm shift from rule-based to usage-based conceptions of grammar, linguistic variation has moved into the centre of the attention of theoretical linguistics. As a result, the acquisition of variation can now be considered an ‘emergent topic’ in research on language variation in general. The aim of this book is to offer a state-of-the-art of current research on the topic, thereby focusing on two particular objectives: 1) the acquisition of sociolinguistic variation presents itself as an interesting research topic for sociolinguists and psycholinguists working on acquisition, but also for a broad range of other sub-disciplines of linguistics, including historical linguistics, dialectology, and for researchers working in different theoretical frameworks. This books aims at bridging the gap between these disciplines and frameworks and allow an interdisciplinary perspective on the topic; and 2) in order to enable cross-linguistic comparison, the book wants to bring together research carried out in different sociolinguistic constellations, as most obviously found in different language areas or different countries.
Sociolinguistic Issues in Non-Native Varieties of English
1985
A careful study of sec4d language varieties (S0s) of English, which have not yet entered the, mainstream of sociolinguistic research because of neglect and misunderstanding, shows that they are qualitatively different from the categories recognized in cprrent sociolinguistic typology. .SLVs provide some of the clearest ev1dencq of sociocultural determination of language variation, on both micro-and macro-leyels. An adequate account of these varieties caps for the descriptive techhiques and explanatory power of the variationist, interactionist, and-sociology, of language paradigms within sociolinguistic theory. The circumstances of their acquisition. and their viability ap =des of communication argue for a reevaluation of some of the traditional assumptions about second language acquisition and teaching. (Author/MSE)