Sociolinguistics

The relationship between language and culture is known to be confusing with no clear distinction on how to separate the two. Language must be learned in order to communicate with the people who speak it as their native tongue, and culture must be understood in order to act in accordance with the social norms of society. But if multiple languages are learned without any cultural knowledge on the country where that language is spoken, is that language fully learned? And if multiple countries…

According to Bernstein, social status is the substratum of the linguistic process; this is produced by the social environment which becomes the psychological reality and shapes the kind of speech one produces. Thus, the language produced will show some preferences, which are stabilized through time and “eventually come to play an important role in the regulation of intellectual, social and affective orientation” (1971, p.98). Consequently, children who grew up in different social environments…

exchanging thoughts. Speech is the main form of communication people use to interact with each other it is used to communicate with friends, family, work colleagues, in the classroom and when out in the greater community (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014). Sociolinguistics looks at how the choice of what is said and how it is said is linked to the situation or context a person is in. It also links to…

How does my language affect my connection to my culture and would a cultural anthropologist be able to use sociolinguistics to determine who I am and where I came from? Does my choice of spoken communication or written words, give an accurate description of my present life and a glimpse of my ancestry? Texas was the state that my most recent ancestors, on my mother's side, called home. We did not leave Texas until I was approximately 2 years old. While American English is my native tongue, for…

1. Introduction Conversations are often a part of my classroom teaching. I have used this to teach target language or to introduce functional language such as to interrupt, agree or disagree etc. This has always been something that is appreciated by my learners; however as a teacher this has never been done with conscious effort or to let students ‘express themselves’ per se or backed up by theoretical underpinning. I have chosen to focus on turn-taking in conversation for opinions hoping to…

Commonly confused, the Linguistic relativity and linguistic determinism theories represent different points on a range of intensity regarding the influence of language on human thought. In order to understand the latter, the relativity theory must be understood, since it is a simpler form of determinism. Relativity, similar to the scientific uses of relativity theories, provides psychologist with a two sided phenomenon, often leaving people with varying positions; Simply put, language we are…

Language plays a significant role and it serves a variety of functions in human society. In a broad sense, language is the symbol, the message, or the expression through which people can be communicated and meaning can be delivered. Human language is a very complex system and the communication through human language is one of the distinctive features of human beings. In a narrow sense, language refers to the spoken words, the speech as the media of communication and interaction among people in…

The Appalachian English (AE) dialect has changed over time. AE developed in the 1700s when Scottish-Irish immigrants settled in the cheap, mountainous territory that makes up the Appalachian Mountains. Isolated from the outside world for centuries, the Appalachian people spoke a distinct dialect that became known as AE. Unique features characterize the speech in Appalachia; the use of these features is fading as the area becomes less isolated. Migration and advances in technology have played…

Language is constantly changing and adapting to fit the need of the people who use it, as it is a vital part of human life. Growing up, language courses were never of any interest to me. I knew how to read, speak and write, so I saw no need to suffer through countless language classes. Only in recent years have I grown to like language. University has provided me with the push I have always truly needed to become fascinated with language. This occurred through having to constantly expand my…

Language is a method of shared, social and cultural rules of communication people use to interact with one another (Gee & Hayes, 2011, p. 6). It can vary between formal and informal registrars, depending on the relationship of its participants and is dependent on the context in which it is used. Within each relationship or community of people, communication and expressions transmitted through language purposeful – it is fundamental for human sustainability and functionality. Language can be…