Sociolinguistics: Language and Regional Variation

What is Sociolinguistics?

• Sociolinguistics is the descriptive study of the effect of some aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, or context, on the way language is used, and the effects of language use on society.

• Sociolinguistics is the prescriptive study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used, and the effects of language use on society.

• 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 the effects of language use on society.

• Sociolinguistics is the prescriptive study of the effect of some aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, or context, on the way language is used, and the effects of language use on society.

Is this statement True or False?:

The standard language is actually an idealized variety, since it has some specific region.

• True

• False

Tick all possible options:

Standard English is the version we found in printed English and is widely used in ______, and is taught in most schools.

• pamphlet

• newspapers

• brochure

• the mass media

• books

Is this statement True or False?:

The term “accent” is restricted to the description of aspects of pronunciation that identify where an individual speaker is socially from.

• True

• False

Is this statement True of False?:

The term "dialect" is used to describe features of grammar and vocabulary as well as aspects of pronunciation.

• True

• False

Fill in the blank:

These two sentences: “You don’t know what you’re talking about'' and “Ye dinnae ken whit yer haverin’ aboot'' have the same______

Fill in the blank:

From ______ point of view: none of the varieties of a language is inherently “better” than any other. They are simply different.

Fill in the blank:

From _____ point of view: some varieties are more prestigious. The variety that develops as the standard language has usually been one socially prestigious dialect, originally associated with a center of economic and political power.