Introduction to Linguistics for lawyers SOCIOLINGUISTICS Introduction to Linguistics for lawyers

What is sociolinguistics? Sociolinguistics is the study of lanuage use in its social contexts While linguistics primarily analyses the structure of language, sociolinguistics analyses language function and use Sociolinguistics – developed since 1960’s No hard boundary between sociolinguistics and linguistics

Some basic sociolinguistic principles Sociolinguistics – concerned with the complex relationship between language and society 1) assumption that language reflects society (1960’s-1990’s), e.g. calling the judge „Your Honour” reflects the hierarchical authority structure in courtrooms 2) assumption that language, or culture, determines aspects of society: Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

Some basic sociolinguistic principles 21st c. sociolinguistics assumes a dynamic and reciprocal relationship between language and society, so that language usage at the same time both reflects and shapes society

Some basic sociolinguistic principles Language – characterised by variation Variation can be studied along two dimensions: diachronic and synchronic Diachronic variation – all languages change over time Synchronic variation – differences in the ways in which language is used in the same time period; people speak differently in different contexts

Some basic sociolinguistic principles Language variation – ubiquitous and related to social factors Dialects – forms of a language which are generally mutually intelligible, and which differ from each other in systematic ways, such as in accent, grammar, words and thier meaning, and communication patterns Cover term ‘variety’ refers to both languages and dialects Differences between social groups based on ethnicity or geographical and/or political space often correspond to the use of different language varieties

Different kinds of sociolinguistic analysis All sociolinguistic analysis – empirical basis; collecting evidence of actual language use

Different kinds of sociolinguistic analysis Ethnography of speaking/ethnography of communication Variationist sociolinguistics Sociology of language Critical sociolinguistics Descriptive linguistics Discourse analysis

Ethnography of communication Studies the ways of speaking (or communicating) in a speech community Uses anthropological approach in which researchers are interested in how members of a social group live, and in learig about their beliefs, values and practices from careful observation (rather than e.g. interviews)

Variationist sociolinguistics Studies patterns and structures of language variation, often using quantitative analysis Initially this approach correlated social variables such as age, gender and socioeconomic class with language variation Increasingly this is being broadened to examine dynamic interactions between variations in ways of using language and ways in which speakers can actively fine-tune a wide range of aspects of their social identity

Sociology of language Focuses on society-level issues involving language Topics include language choice and language policy and planning in multilingual contexts Macroanalysis

Critical sociolinguistics Uses a range of sociolinguistic approaches (both macro and micro) in combination with social theoretical analysis to examine the role of language in power relationships

Descriptive linguistics Studies the structure of language and it complements ad accompanies much sociolinguistic analysis Uses a number of analytical approaches: phonetics/phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics

Discourse analysis Studies language use beyond the sentence level, whether in face-to-face interactions such as conversations, interviews, public speeches, or written communication such as newspaper articles or codified laws Sociolinguistic discourse analysis pays attention not just to the content of what is said but how it is said, examining linguistic dimensions, such as grammar, accent, word choice, turn-taking and context

Discourse analysis Conversation analysis Interactional sociolinguistics Critical Discourse Analysis

Conversation Analysis (CA) Focuses on everyday conversations, but is increasingly being used in the study of institutional talk, such as in courtrooms Sociological tradition of ethnomethodology; focus on the structure of conversations and on how this is cooperatively managed by participants

Interactional sociolinguistics In contrast to CA, highlights contextual and cultural dimensions of language and interaction

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) Examines the ways in which language use (or discourse practices) reproduce and/or trasform power relations within society