Lecture: Introducing Sociolinguistics (Language in Society)

Key Topics and Questions

• Relationship between language and thought
• Does language determine or shape how people think and view the world?
• Concluding remarks on these topics

Discussion and Ideas

• Students encouraged to discuss in pairs/groups: "Does language shape how we think and see the world?"

Language and Thought in Psycholinguistics

• Central issue: Is language necessary for thought?
• Main views:
  • Speech is necessary for thought
  • Language is necessary for thought
  • Language determines thought and perception
  • Language relatively affects thought and perception

Thought as Behavior

• Thought viewed as behavior from speech production
• Thought defined as subvocal speech or behavior, not mental
• Thinking is internal speaking; requires learning to speak loudly first (Steinberg & Sciarini, 2006)

Child Language Development

• Children can comprehend speech and think without producing speech
• Speech comprehension develops before production
• Absence of speech doesn't imply lack of language knowledge

Language System Necessary for Thought

• Encompasses both speech production and comprehension
• Thinking or reasoning without language is considered an illusion (Sapir, 1921)

Multilingualism and Thought

• Multilingual individuals may have multiple thought systems
• If language forms thought, different languages form different systems

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

• Linguistic Determinism: Language structure determines perception and behavior
• Linguistic Relativity: Language and culture influence, not determine, thought and behavior

Examples of Language Influencing Worldview

• Differences in syntax and vocabulary across languages affect thought perception
• Grammatical categories dictate perception limits and worldview

Grammatical and Lexical Variations

• Examples of language-specific terms affecting perception:
  • English uses single term for 'legs'; Spanish uses 'piernas' for people, 'patas' for animals
  • French uses 'tu' and 'vous'; English uses 'you'

Cultural and Linguistic Influence on Worldview

• Language forms relate to behavior and perception
• Tests across languages show variability in thought influenced by linguistic structures

Universality and Relativity

• Some universals exist among languages, supporting linguistic relativity
• Similarities and differences suggest a relative relationship between language and worldview

Application and Reflection

• Compare grammatical and lexical elements in your languages
• Discuss how linguistic determinism and relativity theories may apply

Recommended Videos

• Language and Thought Video
• Language and Thought TED Talk

References

• Steinberg, D. & Sciarini, V. (2006). An Introduction to Psycholinguistics.
• Hill, J.H. (1988). Language, Culture, and World View.
• Wardhaugh, R. (2010). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics.