Sociolinguistics Lecture Notes

Introduction to Sociolinguistics

• Study of the relationship between language and society.
• Key concepts:
  • Differentiating between languages and dialects.
  • Dialect continuum.
  • Isoglosses and dialect boundaries.
  • Notion of accent.
  • Slang.

Languages and Dialects

• Estimated 5,000 to 7,000 languages in use today (includes spoken and signed languages).
• Distinction between language and dialect is often unclear:
  • A language may have multiple dialects.
  • Dialects can have varying levels of prestige.
• Example of prestige:
  • Received Pronunciation (high prestige) vs. Southern American English (lower prestige).

Dialect Continuum

• Dialects are generally mutually intelligible; languages are not.
• Dialect Continuum:
  • A range of dialects that are mutually intelligible near each other, but not at the extremes.
  • Example: Western American English is intelligible with Southern American English, but less so with Scottish English.

Accent

• An accent indicates pronunciation and can reflect regional and social identity.
• Everyone has an accent; it can vary by demographic factors (age, gender, socioeconomic status).

Key Study in Sociolinguistics: William Labov

• Study of R-lessness in New York City department stores.
• Focus on how salespeople adapt their speech based on the prestige of their workplace:
  • Saks Fifth Avenue (high prestige) vs. Macy's (medium) vs. S. Klein (low).
• Results:
  • Higher prestige stores used the R sound more often.
  • Example:
    • "fourth floor" vs. "fawth flaw" (R-lessness).
• Labov considered the father of variationist sociolinguistics.

Isoglosses and Dialect Boundaries

• Isogloss:
  • A boundary that separates different linguistic forms.
• Not a political boundary; based on geographical features that limit interaction.
• Example of isogloss:
  • Usage of "y'all" vs. "you all" in Albuquerque, NM.
  • Pin-pen merger in certain pronunciations.
• A dialect boundary is a bundle of isoglosses.

Slang

• Informal language often used by younger speakers to express group membership.
• Language evolves with each generation; older speakers may resist changes.
• Examples of slang terms:
  • Past: tubular, far out, groovy.
  • Present: lit, on fleek, yeet.
• Slang shifts frequently and may or may not have long-term viability.

Conclusion

• Encouragement to share examples of slang in comments.
• Acknowledgment of the dynamic nature of language and dialects.
• Thank you for attending the lecture!