As Connie Eble highlights in her summary of Sociolinguistics, “the study of how language serves and is shaped by the social nature of human beings.” It looks in to how society and language works, how they relate to each and how it changes across various environments. All of which is controlled by us as humans and how we interact with each other. Sociolinguistics can look at how language is communicate whether that is by pen on paper or by computer or by chalk boards. It also investigates the different dialects used in language and how this differs amongst locations and social class or ethnicity. There is also the understanding of the use of slang and looking at how language amongst age ranges and genders.
Sociolinguistics also looks at how contact has a role to play in language. It discusses how close knit communities have a reluctance to adopt new language shifts yet those communities who may cross over to other communities may adopt new styles of language. An example in this would be those who use many social networking sites would be more likely to adopt change as those who do not use any social media sites.
In summary:
- Sociolinguistics is the study of how language serves and is shaped by the social nature of human beings.
- Sociolinguistics analyzes the many and diverse ways in which language and society entwine.
- This vast field of inquiry requires and combines insights from a number of disciplines, including linguistics, sociology, psychology and anthropology.
- The basic premise of sociolinguistics is that language is variable and changing.
- Some social factors are attributes of the speaker — for example, age, gender, socio-economic class, ethnicity and educational level.
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Bibliography
Connie Eble. What is Sociolinguistics? Sociolinguistics Basics. http://www.pbs.org/speak/speech/sociolinguistics/sociolinguistics/
