Chapter I

Language, Culture and Society

Introduction

In chapter 1 you will be introduced to the various concepts and meanings of

sociolinguistics, the social function of language, and the relationship of language and
geographical, ethnic, and national identity. Particularly you shall gain insights into the
difference between sociolinguistics and sociology of language, different factors influencing
the way people speak, why and how people speak in a given social context, and lastly how
importantly language represents a people’s country and ethnicity.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the chapter, students are expected to:
1. State the meaning of sociolinguistics
2. Examine the various perceptions of sociolinguistics
3. Explain the social function of language
4. Discuss the relationship of language to geographical, ethnic and national identity.

Learning Content

A. DEFINITIONS OF SOCIOLINGUISTICS

Although sociolinguistics has numerous definitions, each of these meanings does

not fail to acknowledge that sociolinguistics has to do with language use and a society’s
response to it (Oha, et.al, n.d.)

The following are definitions of linguistics:

 Study of relationship between language and society, of language variation, and

of attitudes about language.
 Branch of anthropological linguistics that studies how language and culture are
related, and how language is used in different contexts.
 Study of relationship between language and social factors such as class,
ethnicity, age and sex.
 Study of language in social contexts
 Study of sociological factors involved in the use of language, including gender,
race, class, etc.
 Study of stylistic and social variation of language (vernacular)
 Study of language in relation to its socio-cultural context.
 Study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms,
expectations, and context on the way language is used.
 Study of social and cultural effects on language.

From the above definitions, it is evident that sociolinguistics (a discipline) yokes

sociology and linguistics.It is concerned with how language use is a determinant of a given
society’s linguistic requirements. Each society has linguistic codes acceptable for
communication and interaction. Sociolinguistics shows how groups in a given society are
separated by certain social variables like ethnicity, religion, status, gender, level of
education, age, etc. and how adherence to these variables is used to categorize individuals
in social class or socio-economic class.

Sociolinguistics is a developing branch of linguistics and sociology which

investigates the individual and social variation of language.

 Regional variation of language gives a lot of information about the place a speaker
is from.

 Social variation tells about the roles performed by a speaker within one community,
or country.

Additionally, sociolinguistics is a branch of sociology which reveals the relationship

between language use and the social basis for such use

Difference between Sociolinguistics and Sociology of Language

 Sociolinguistics focuses on the effect of society on the language.
 Sociology of language focuses on the effect of language on society.

Factors Influencing the Way People Speak

1. Social Classis the position of the speaker in the society, measured by the level of
education, parental background, profession and their effect on syntax and lexis used
by the speaker. (e.g., the social class of speakers influences their way of formulating
sentences)
Two groups of language users:
1. Middle Class (performing non-manual work and with more years of education)
2. Working Class (performing some kind of manual work)

2. Social Context is the register of the language used depending on changing

situations: formal language in formal meetings and informal usage during meetings with
friends.
 People (particularly middle class) are able to adjust their style to the interlocutor.
Convergencemeans the process of adapting own speech to reduce social distance.
Divergence is the process of emphasizing the social distance using idiosyncratic forms

3. Geographical Origins are slight differences in pronunciation between speakers that

point at the geographical region which the speaker comes from.

 Dialect describes a variety of language that differs in grammar, lexis and

pronunciation from others.
 Idiolect is an individual personal variation of language use (each has a unique way
of speaking due to life experience, education, age, and aspiration).

4. Ethnicityrefers to differences between the use of a given language by its native

speakers and other ethnic groups.
 Jargonis a specific technical vocabulary associated with a particular field of interest,
or topic. (e.g. convergence, divergence, dialect, idiolect, sociolect are sociolinguistic
jargon)
Slangrefers to a type of language used most frequently by people from outside of
high-status groups, characterized by the use of unusual words and phrases instead
of conventional forms. (e.g., thru a study of social attitudes, a certain vernacular
would not be appropriate language use in a business or professional setting)
5. Nationality is clearly visible in the case of the English language. British English
differs from American English, or Canadian English.
Code switching is the use of different varieties of language in different social
situations.
6. Gendershows differences in patterns of language use between men and women,
such as quantity of speech, intonation patterns.
7. Age refers to the influence of age of the speaker on the use of vocabulary and
grammar complexity.

 Sociolinguistics shows that speakers change the forms of language they use in
describable social circumstances.
 They might switch from a ‘high’ form of language to a ‘low’ form as and when the
social environment suggests so.
 They speak a standard educated form of their language in formal situations and
use a dialect form (whether social or geographical or both) of their language in
informal, casual situations.
 Speakers are aware of the ‘correlations’ – that one situation demands the use of a
particular form of the language and that another social situation demands another.
 The role of the social is to establish the correlation; the role of the individual is to
implement and instantiate it as appropriate sociolinguistic behavior.

B. SOCIAL FUNCTION OF LANGUAGE

Social function of language refers to the way people relate language to their

relationships with other people. It is how they use language and how they communicate in
a social setting.

Let usconsider a concrete example of this, using word meaning and word forms. We
are going to pretend that you are in college and just started a new internship at a hospital
and have gotten sick on the third day. You are going to call your boss and mentor, a
physician named Dr. Eric Tayag, and ask him to take the day off. How are you going to do
this? There are an infinite number of ways we can phrase this, but let usstick to two
examples that we shall analyze.

Sample 1: Hey Eric. I'm sorry, boss. I feel sick to my stomach. I'm gonna need to
take the day off.

Sample 2:Hi Dr. Smith. I'm sorry, boss, but I feel very sick today. Iam going to need
to take the day off.

Notice how both examples convey the same idea. The meaning of the word boss is
the same. The meaning of needing to take the day off is the same. The direct meaning of
what you are trying to say is the same.
 However, which of the examples uses word forms that are a socially acceptable way
to communicate with your supervisor, who is also a physician? Clearly, it's the second
example.

Here, we're using terms like 'Dr. Smith', instead of 'Eric'. And 'I'm going to', instead
of 'I'm gonna'. The first example is too informal for a newly formed boss-employee
relationship between a student and his or her supervisor or mentor, so the second example
is more appropriate unless Dr. Smith says it is okay to be called by his first name.

These are examples of indirect social cues we use in language to express how we
view ourselves in comparison to someone else in society. The way we form phrases or
words, despite their variations having the same meanings, helps us understand things like
social standing when two people interact with one another.

Hence, the point is that it is not just enough to use language to communicate. You
must also use it in a way that fits the type of social relationship you have with your
audience.

C. LANGUAGE AND GEOGRAPHICAL, ETHNIC, AND NATIONAL IDENTITY

Language Geography/Language and Geography

Language geography studies the geographic distribution of language or its

constituent elements. There are two principal fields of study within the geography of
language: the “geography of languages”, which deals with the distribution through history
and space of languages, and “linguistic geography”, which deals with regional linguistic
variations within languages. Various other terms and sub-disciplines have been suggested,
including; a division within examination of linguistic geography separating the studies of
change over time and space; ‘geo-linguistics’, a study within the geography of language
concerned with the analysis of the distribution patterns and spatial structures of languages
in contact, but none have gained much currency.

Many studies have researched the effect of ‘language contact’ as the languages or
dialects of peoples have interacted. This territorial expansion of language groups has
usually resulted in the overlaying of languages upon existing areas, rather than the
replacement of one language by another.

Linguistic geography, as a field, is dominated by linguists rather than geographers.

The difference results from a focus on “elements of language, and their geographical or
social variation,” as opposed to investigation of the processes making for change in the
extent of language areas. In Trudgill’s view, linguistic geography has been geographical
only in the sense that it has been concerned with the spatial distribution of linguistic
phenomena.
Language and Ethnic Identity

The issue of language and ethnic identity relationships provides considerable

insights into the link between language and culture. Close and systematic attention to the
relationship between language and ethnicity illuminates processes of cultural change and
continuity (Fishman et.al., 1984). Every language carries a distinct and weighty ethnic
baggage.

There is a relationship between a speaker’s ethnic group membership and the use
of language. Through application of specific structural features, the speaker’s linguistic
variety can be used to express the speaker’s ethnic identity. The applied structural features
identify one’s ethnic variety. These features include numerous grammatical, syntactical,
morphological and phonological differences from the standard variety of language. The
differences between the ethnic variety and the standard and/or non-standard varieties of
language can be absolute in character or they may just concern the relative frequency of
occurrence of a single structural feature.

Language and National Identity

Language represents national identity. A country is known by what language its

people speak. Beside a boundary, a name, a flag, or a currency, what makes a country
become a respectable and unique nation is its national language(Abassi, 2013).

Abassi stressed that national language is a clear indicator that represents the
national identity of a country. Language is a sensitive issue. It’s also part of a nation and a
person’s heritage. To understand and penetrate deep into a community, one must be able
to speak and understand the language of the community.  Fluency in the national language
will surely enable the person to fully understand that community’s particular nuances and
cultural aspects.

National language is a driving force behind unity of the nation’s people, and makes
them distinct from other nations – provided they give their language respect.  Giving
respect to one’s national language means that it should be one’s primary language, as well
as the preferred source of communication at every level.

Teaching and Learning Activities

ACTIVITY 1

Explain the relationship between sociology and linguistics in all the definitions given
above.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY 2

Discuss the various factors with which sociolinguists are concerned in studying the
relationship between society and language?
 ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY 3

Distinguish briefly between sociolinguistics and sociology of language.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY 4

What is social function of language? Explain it.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Recommended learning materials and resources for supplementary reading

The following supplementary materials from the internet are worth reading/viewing:

1. What does sociolinguistics study?

https://all-about-linguistics.group.shef.ac.uk/branches-of-linguistics/sociolinguistics/
what-does-sociolinguistics-study

2. Importance of language in society

https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/29223/17/9_chapter%201.pdf

3. Sociolinguistics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Luq8I3iCNMA

Flexible Teaching Learning Modality (FTLM) adopted

Online lecture and or presentation of output via video conference/ Google
classroom.
Assessment Task
Explain why the study of sociolinguistics is important to you.

How does language mirror one’s culture?

References
Abassi, A. N. (2013, March 3). uncategorized/a-national-language-represents-the-national-
identity-of-a-country. Retrieved July 31, 2020, from http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/:
http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/uncategorized/a-national-language-represents-the-
national-identity-of-a-country/

All about linguistics. (n.d.). branches-of-linguistics/sociolinguistics/what-does-

sociolinguistics-study/. Retrieved July 30, 2020, from all-about-
linguistics.group.shef.ac.uk: https://all-about-linguistics.group.shef.ac.uk/branches-
of-linguistics/sociolinguistics/what-does-sociolinguistics-study/

ELLO Sociolinguistics. (n.d.). field.php/Sociolinguistics/Ethnicpattern. Retrieved July 28,

2020, from www.ello.uos.de:
http://www.ello.uos.de/field.php/Sociolinguistics/Ethnicpattern

Oha, A. C., & Uwaheh, M. J. (2010). Sociology of Language. Abuja, nIGERIA: National
Open University of Nigeria.