MID TEST

Siti Diyanah Maisurah(1588203044)

5A

1.      Sociolinguistics 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. It differs from sociology of language, which focuses on the effect of language of society. Sociolinguistics overlaps considerably with pragmatics. It is historically closely related to linguistic anthropology, and the distinction between the two fields has been questioned.

It also studies how language varieties differ between groups separated by certain social variables (ethnicity, religion, status, gender, level of education, age, etc) and how creation and adherence to these rules is used to categorize individuals in social or socioeconomic classes. As the usage of a language varies among social classes, and it is these sociolects that sociolinguistics studies.

2.      When we study languages, we often focus on the language itself. The grammar, the vocabulary, the pronunciation, and so on. Sociolinguistics, however, give you the chance to look at the context within which the language is spoken rather than the mechanics of the language itself. Why does context matter? Ultimately, if you are learning the language with the aim of using it, then it’s worth considering the places and cultures tied to the language. You can learn so much about the language that you’re learning by looking past it to the things that it’s attached to. So much of actual communication goes beyond just words and grammar, and without considering communication in its entirety, you’ll never really be “fluent” in another language. Every language is used with in different contexts, by different people and for different reasons. and when learning a language, it is important to consider these factors in order to be able effectively communicate in them. And effective communication is, presumably, the ultimate goal for many learners. In essence, the study of language and its relationship to culture and to society is known as sociolinguistics.* Although it may sound like an intimidating term that belongs the academic realm (as I mentioned earlier), every language learner should have some awareness of sociolinguistics. Even if it’s just understanding what it is without actually knowing the term for it.

3. In linguistics we sometimes might seem to treat language as though it was nothing to do with people.  It is seen as a sealed system, subject to its own rules.  Social context recognises that people use language and that language is a part of society.  Social context tries to describe, and account for, the different ways that different people use language.   Social context looks at relationships between language and society and looks at language as people use it.  It considers the relationship between a person’s language and their social identity. We observe the way that people use language differently and try to explain why this is.  This explaining is not always easy. Social context asks  (a) what variations are there in a language and  (b) why do they come about? Social context is, interesting, exciting and fraught with difficulties.   There are very few definite neat answers to things.  What we need to do is try to become aware of the way language varies according to who people are, what they are doing, and the attitudes they have to their language.  We need to remember that there has been very little research into the Social context of BSL.  This course may well raise more questions than it can answer, but at least we can become aware of the issues involved, even if we cannot come up with a simple answer. Social context will think about variety within a language.  Everybody who speaks a language has a very wide linguistic repertoire unless they have very severe learning difficulties, or are learning the language as a foreign language.  This means, they can use language in many different ways, depending on the situation they are in.   The sort of language that they use also depends on their social background and social identity.
4. The Branches of linguistics

1. General linguistic generally describes the concepts and categories of a particular language or among all language. It also provides analyzed theory of the language.

Descriptive linguistic describes or gives the data to confirm or refute the theory of particular language explained generally.

2. Micro linguistic is narrower view. It is concerned internal view of language itself (structure of language systems) without related to other sciences and without related how to apply it in daily life. Some fields of micro linguistic:

a. Phonetics, the study of the physical properties of sounds of human language

b. Phonology, the study of sounds as discrete, abstract elements in the speaker's mind that distinguish meaning

c. Morphology, the study of internal structures of words and how they can be modified

d. Syntax, the study of how words combine to form grammatical sentences

e. Semantics, the study of the meaning of words (lexical semantics) and fixed word combinations (phraseology), and how these combine to form the meanings of sentences

f. Pragmatics, the study of how utterances are used (literally, figuratively, or otherwise) in communicative acts

g. Discourse analysis, the analysis of language use in texts (spoken, written, or signed)

h. Applied linguistic is the branch of linguistic that is most concerned with application of the concepts in everyday life, including language-teaching.

3. Macro linguistic is broadest view of language. It is concerned external view of language itself with related to other sciences and how to apply it in daily life. Some fields of micro linguistic:

a. Stylistics, the study of linguistic factors that place a discourse in context.

b. Developmental linguistics, the study of the development of linguistic ability in an individual, particularly the acquisition of language in childhood.

c. Historical linguistics or Diachronic linguistics, the study of language change.

d. Language geography, the study of the spatial patterns of languages.

e. Evolutionary linguistics, the study of the origin and subsequent development of language.

f. Psycholinguistics, the study of the cognitive processes and representations underlying language use.

g. Sociolinguistics, the study of social patterns and norms of linguistic variability.

h. Clinical linguistics, the application of linguistic theory to the area of Speech-Language Pathology.

i. Neurolinguistics, the study of the brain networks that underlie grammar and communication.

j. Biolinguistics, the study of natural as well as human-taught communication systems in animals compared to human language.

5. According to a popular saying amongst linguists, a standard language is a dialect with an army. It is rarely the case that brutal force has been used to impose a standard language, although linguistic issues can arouse passion and occasionally violence.

6. Accents

Accent is all about pronunciation. Two people may use the same grammar, the same syntax and the same vocabulary but pronounce the words in a different way. Effectively they have two accents.

For example, people in the north of England tend to say the word path as:

pæːθ

with a short vowel whilst people in the south of England tend to say:

pɑːθ

with a long vowel. There are two different accents at work here.

Dialects

Dialects, on the other hand, have differences not only in pronunciation but also in grammar and syntax. Two people may both speak English but one might say:

He did well!

Whilst the other could say:

He done well!

Here this isn’t just a difference in pronunciation but also grammar; these are two different dialects. On another tack, one person might say:

He’s talking.

Whilst another says:

He’s a-mardlin’.

Here there are differences in vocabulary which separate standard British English from the Norfolk dialect.

Languages

There is a saying that a language is a dialect with an army. Linguists often talk about language in terms of political influence and power. By this they mean that a dialect with political power becomes a language.

Take, for example, Chinese and Spanish. They are two very different languages and most people would regard them as completely separate.

However, what about Spanish and Italian? They share a great deal and are obviously related however, most people would see them as separate languages.

What about Mandarin and Cantonese which are very different (far more different than Spanish and Italian for example) and yet some people regard them as dialects of Chinese.

Finally think about Hindi and Urdu which are regarded as separate languages since they “belong” to two different nations, India and Pakistan, and yet they’re linguistically extremely similar.

So linguistically speaking there is no real difference between a language and a dialect; however politically speaking the differences become of major importance

7. We use formal language in situations that are serious or that involve people we don’t know well. Informal language is more commonly used in situations that are more relaxed and involve people we know well.

Formal language is more common when we write; informal language is more common when we speak. However, there are times where writing can be very informal, for example, when writing postcards or letters to friends, emails or text messages. There are also examples where spoken English can be very formal, for example, in a speech or a lecture. Most uses of English are neutral; that is, they are neither formal nor informal.

Formal language and informal language are associated with particular choices of grammar and vocabulary.

Contractions, relative clauses without a relative pronoun and ellipsis are more common in informal language.

Compare

She has decided to accept the job.	formal
She’s decided to accept the job.	informal: She’s = contraction

Compare

The girl whom I met in Singapore was interested in working in Australia.	formal
The girl I met in Singapore was interested in working in Australia.	informal: relative clause without the relative pronoun whom

We went to Barcelona for the weekend. We have a lot of things to tell you.	Formal
Went to Barcelona for the weekend. Lots to tell you.	Informal: ellipsis (more likely to be written or texted than spoken)

More formal vocabulary commonly involves longer words or words with origins in Latin and Greek. More informal vocabulary commonly involves shorter words, or words with origins in Anglo-Saxon. Most dictionaries indicate very informal and/or formal words.

formal	informal
commence	start
terminate	end
endeavour	try
8. Sociolinguists are interested in explaining why people speak differently in different social contexts. They are concerned with the way people signal aspects of their social identity through language. Sociolinguists study the effect of social factors -- such as social distance, social status, age, gender and class -- on language varieties (dialects, registers, genres, etc). Sociolinguists are also concerned with identifying the social functions of language and the ways it is used to convey social meaning. 9. c. lingua franca 10. because they not really understand about a language or because they want to make their interlocutor understand what they are trying to say. 11. a. D: dari mana? A: I’m from dumai b. saya hungry lah