Download Course Code: E-300

Course Code: E-300
Course Name: English Language Literacy
Tutor: Dr. Quadri Syed Shah Rahmatullah
Weeks: 1-4
Part-1. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics: Janet Holmes
What is Linguistics?
What is sociolinguistics?
Why should we study Sociolinguistics?
Linguistics is the scientific study of any given language exploring the
origin, changes, development and usage of the Language.
Study of a language and its relation ship with the social and cultural
factors is called sociolinguistics.
We must study sociolinguistics to find the relation ship between
Language and society to explore the social functions of language,
meanings conveyed, and the social identity signaled by the people.
Example:
( 1 ) Saad: Ali, you are late
Ali: That stupid kept me again.
Saad: Professor is there.
Ali: I am sorry, Where’s he?
( 2 ) A: Good evening, sir.
B: What are you doing with the projector at this time?
A: Dr. Quadri gave us an assignment. So, we are kept in, sir.
Guess the relation ship between the speakers.
Different ways of speaking:
Please tender exact fare and state the destination
Give me the right money and tell me where you’re going.
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Thus uses of language variety depends upon:
Users of language
Languages uses
Social setting
Function of interaction
Social dimensions are of two types
High solidarity
Intimate: Friends or family members
low solidarity
Distant: Colleagues
The status scale:
Superior—Higher status
Director of university and office secretary
Subordinate—Low status
Formality scale
Formal---High Formality Royal family or political meeting
Informal ---low formality Class mates or close friends
Referential scale
High information content
Specific course or Project reports
Low affective content
Reasons for coming late
Low information Content
Personal or love Letters, chatting.
Affective Scale
High Affective content
Marketing Advertisements
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Language choice in Multi lingual communities:
Example of a Zairian, Kalala, 16, an unemployed living in Bukavu,
city, 220,000 population, multilingual and multicultural city, over 40
groups speaking different languages; uses Shy his dialect normally, with
his own ethnic group, Swahili as lingua franca with other ethnic
groups, Kingwana with younger children and elder people. But the
Standard Zairian taught in school is used for official transactions is the
best example of Multi lingual multicultural community choice.
Anahina, a Tongan New Zealander living in Auckland is another
example of bilingual domain of Language use.
All conversation with parents and grand parents and during meals she
uses Tongan language. But with elder sisters she uses English.
Domain is a places or situation of speaking a particular dialect or
language.
Family, friend circle, religion, education, employment are some of the
Domains of language.
In Paraguay, Guarani, and Spanish are used in different official and
social domains.
Diglossia: two varieties of the same language is called Diglossia.
Creoles: A language formed with the help of a European and a local
language is called creoles.
West Indians or Caribbeans are the best examples of it.
According to changing situations or conditions people adopt the code
switching, code mixing, situational switching, Metaphorical switching,
or lexical borrowings.
This leads us to study Language Maintenance and shift.
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Migrant Minorities, Non migrant communities, Migrant majorities, and
people try to shift or maintain their language. The reasons are as
follows:
Economic,
Social,
Employment
And political.
People coming to Saudi Arabia for employment,
People going to America for higher learning and jobs opportunities,
Keralites of India, and
Pathans of Afgahanistan and Pakistan are the suitable examples.
Demographic reasons also exist.
Attitudes and values of ethnic groups are also responsible for the
maintenance of a particular dialect, code or variety and language.
Even minority languages can be maintained to treasure the cultural and
ethnic values of the past of a particular community.
|If every community and ethnic group is trying to value one’s own
language then it gives rise to Multi lingual Nation(s) and creates
linguistic varieties. USA and KSA are the best examples of it.
But this fact distinctly defines Vernacular languages, Standard
language, Lingua Franca Pidgins and creoles.
Pidgins: Simplified language made up of parts of two or more
languages, used as a communication tool between, speakers whose
native languages are different.
Juba Arabic spoken is Sudan borrowing words from other languages
and Sudanese Arabic is the example of Pidgin.
Page 86 to 88 can be referred from An Introduction to Sociolinguistics.
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Chapter 5For National languages and its establishment many factors are involved.
Ex.
Paraguay: Guarani and Spanish languages before independence.
Reinaldo Decoud Larrosa, a great linguist scholar
Studied and pointed out
 14 indicative tenses,
 Rich grammar
 Vocabulary in agriculture, botany and Medical fields.
Speakers:
Guarani
Spanish
90%
60%
Lower class
Upper class
Solidarity-love –humour-poetry
admin-Edu-businessInformal -low-lg
Formal context High-lg
Guarani is an indigenous Amn.-Indian Lg associated with Spanish fro
300 years.
National and Official Languages:
National language is used to express the unity of the nation, pride, and
identity along with independence.
Official language establishment is a political activity, used for the
administrative, political and vote bank purpose, seeing the majority of
the speakers, and foreign relations; if the country is a multilingual one.
Ex. Vanuatu- Pacific Republic spread on 80 islands
Before Independence-French
After Bislama non European, English lexified Creole extracted from
Melanesian plantation Pidgin
According to Sociolinguists, National and Official languages are
established under the context of effect,
known as Ideological Instrumental Dimension
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1. Political
National Language:
2. cultural Unit Symbol of national unity
3. Social
1. Govt.affairs
Official Language:
2. Utilitarian
3. Non symbolic
Examples:
Paraguay
Guarani - National Language
Spanish Official and National Language
Tanzania
Swahili-- National and Official Language
English—Official Language
Vanuatu
Bislama—National and Official Language
French and English—Official Languages
In monolingual countries same language is National and Official
Language where one language is unifying force.
Multilingual countries:
Country
official language
Tanzania
Swahili
Malaysia
Malay
Indonesia
Indonesian
Zaire
French
Ivory Coast
French
Chad
French
Israel
Arabic
Zaire
Lingala, Tshiluba, Kikango and Swahili
New Zealand
Maori
Te-ringa Mangu an activists group struggled for Maori in New Zealand,
their leader delivered the speech in Maori in the court and declared as
Official language in 1987.
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What Price A National Language
In countries like UK, France, Japan, Spain, till 15 the century One
nation One Language notion kept the number languages very low
In 19th Century Linguistic Nationalism in Europe increased the
languages dramatically.
20th Century independence for many Asian and African and European
countries from the colonial rule further added the languages.
Ruling party in majority in any independent country is decisive power
in case of National and official language.
Philippines—National language is Pilipino
Tagalog 12 million,
Cebuana 10 million
Ilocana 05 million
Linguists Role in Language Planning
Harmless drudge is done by Linguists with no powers to decide, mostly.
They compile dictionaries (Lexicographer= dictionary Compiler)
Lexicographer
work
Language
Samuel John son 40,000 words Dictionary
English
Ivar Aasen
composed Landsmal/ Nynorsk
Norwegian
Eliezer ben Yehuda
Vernacularised
Hebrew
Francis Mihalic
Grammar and Dictionary
Tok Pisin
st
Harry Orsman
1 Dictionary on Historical basis
Nzl English
Codification of Orthography: Orthography is the system of spelling in a
language. In Greece there was a complicated grammar, accent and
writing system in practice since Alexander the great. It took 4500 hours
for beginners to learn the language writing. So they introduced a system
by name Monotony in 1982 which save money time printing material
and energy. The other examples are New Zealand -Maori, -ing, sound
Samoan-ng sound double vowel-aa; and in Hebrew lg. indigenous words
choice, in developing vocabulary etc are the examples.
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Chapter -6
Regional and Social Dialects
 The factors of variation id monolingual countries would be dealt
from now onwards
 No two person of the same language dialect speak the same langue
 Variations are not only in choice of words but also in accent and
pronunciation.
 Language speaking style because of its accent and pronunciation
identify the region and class of the person also
 Scottish people speak’ r’ sound in between the words like
Americans.
 Same changes come due to common errors, some due to tradition
 Regions are choosy in the choice of vocabulary
 New Zealanders: Dead, for Dad
 Americans: Guard for God, Ladder for Latter
 English Single parents---Nzl Solo parents
 Americans: do you have Britons: Have you got
Gotten
got
Dove
dived
Did you eat
have you eaten
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There are social, regional, intra- national and intra- continental
variation is seen in the same language, specially spoken English.
 That’s why the RP system was introduced. But its system is
very rigid compared to the national langue which allows
certain variations.
Chapter-7 &8 Gender and Age ; Ethnicity and Social Net works
 Non-western communities are used to speak in more than one
language if they are settled in European countries like an Indian
woman living in Amazonian Basin talk to her children in Tuyuku
to her children.
 But being from different tribe she speaks to her husband in
Desamo but her husband replies her in Tuyuku.
 The health minister’s interview on radio did not allow the listener
to identify the gender until the name Helen was announced.
 In Montana, the Gros Ventre American women call Kja’tsa and
men dza’tsa for bread.
 Same is the case in Japanese language.
 Vocabulary, accent, grammar and voice along with the syntax the
variety is seen in every language that exists on globe.
 Children born of parents from different nationality learn the
language of the land very close to the native speakers.
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 Children learn language consciously putting their efforts in
trusting their teachers.
 Teen-aged ones and young men & women make their own
personal variations to sound smart and intelligent.
 Employment seekers speak cautiously to sound expert and
learned.
 Middle aged men and women speak polished language to be
models for their offsprings and community people.
 Old aged people because of loosing strength, stamina, and teeth or
due to any ailment, lisp or shibboleth like variations are found in
their speaking style.
 They speak using long sentences and detail for the fear of not
getting opportunity to speak the youngsters very soon.
 Vocabulary does differ in terms of gender
 Accent is also different
 Syntax is also different
 Region wise and nationality wise, Black British citizens, Afro
Americans, Eurasians, Indo British or Indo Americans do differ
in syntax construction, pronunciation, accent and vocabulary.
 Arabs, French, Philippines, Malaysians, Jews, and Russians also
differ in pronunciation and sentence structure building while
reading, speaking and writing, especially English language.

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