Question: What is sociolinguistics? Discuss different varieties of socio-linguistics.
Introduction:
Sociolinguistics is a branch of linguistics that studies the relationship between and society.
Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics is the study of the way language that is affected by differences in social class, region, sex, etc. 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 society’s effect on language.
According to Spolsky, sociolinguistics is the study of the relation between language and society, between the uses of language and the social structures in which the users of language live.
Different varieties of socio-linguistics
In sociolinguistics, language variety—also called lect—is a general term for any distinctive form of a language or linguistic expression. Linguists commonly use language variety as a cover term for any of the overlapping subcategories of a language, including dialect, register, jargon, and idiolect.
More Notes of Linguistics
Dialect
The word dialect—which contains “lect” within the term—derives from the Greek words dia- meaning “across, between” and legein “speak.” A dialect is a regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, and/or vocabulary. The term dialect is often used to characterize a way of speaking that differs from the standard variety of the language.
Register
Register is defined as the way a speaker uses language differently in different circumstances. Think about the words you choose, your tone of voice, even your body language. You probably behave very differently chatting with a friend than you would at a formal dinner party or during a job interview. These variations in formality, also called stylistic variation, are known as registers in linguistics.
Jargon
Jargon refers to the specialized language of a professional or occupational group. Such language is often meaningless to outsiders. American poet David Lehman has described jargon as “the verbal sleight of hand that makes the old hat seem newly fashionable; it gives an air of novelty and specious profundity to ideas that, if stated directly, would seem superficial, stale, frivolous, or false.”
Types of Lects
In addition to the distinctions discussed previously, different types of lects also echo the types of language varieties:
Regional dialect: A variety spoken in a particular region.
Sociolect: Also known as a social dialect, a variety of language is used by a socioeconomic class, a profession, an age group, or any other social group.
Ethnolect: A lect is spoken by a specific ethnic group. For example, Ebonics, the vernacular spoken by some African-Americans, is a type of ethnolect.
Idiolect: The language or languages is spoken by each individual. For example, if you are multilingual and can speak in different registers and styles, your idiolect comprises several languages, each with multiple registers and styles.
Conclusion
The language varieties, or lects, that people speak often serve as the basis for judgment, and even exclusion, from certain social groups, professions, and business organizations.
