Sociolinguistics studies language use in various social and cultural contexts. More specifically, it looks at how people with different social identities (e.g. gender, age, race, ethnicity, class) speak and how their speech changes in different situations. For example, how features of dialects (ways of pronouncing words, choice of words, patterns of words) cluster together to form personal styles of speech; or why people from different communities or cultures can misunderstand what is meant, said and done based on the different ways they use language. Sociolinguistics encompasses a range of methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative. View the 3 lectures below. They are informative & entertaining. They provide the basic essentials, and will help ease your way through Wardhaugh's textbook.
Also, at a later stage - if you wish - click on any of the tabs below to view and learn more about pidgens, creoles, diglossia, code switching, and more.
Also, at a later stage - if you wish - click on any of the tabs below to view and learn more about pidgens, creoles, diglossia, code switching, and more.
Vera Regan: TedxDublin
This first lecture (Ted talk) describes sociolinguistics and specifically exemplifies a research product carried out by Vera Regans' research team. It will provide you with an insightful look into the usefulness of sociolinguistics. Whilst watching, consider ... if you were doing a sociolinguistic research project in Sweden ... what might you look at? Language used in courts by different ethnicities? Or by a shop assistant working at Rusta compared to a shop assistant working at NK? What would you look at? And what do you think you might find? And how would you account for that variation? |
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Introductory Lectures x 2.
Both excellently presented. Please view them completely
Both excellently presented. Please view them completely
Sociolinguistics - the study of variation in language
by Martin Hilpert |
Language, Dialect, Variety
by Jörgen Handke |
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