This document discusses social variations in language use. It explains that George Yule focuses on how language varies based on education level and socioeconomic status. Sociolinguistics studies the relationship between language and society. The document outlines differences in language between middle and working class individuals as well as between those with more or less education. Features like pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar patterns can serve as social markers of one's background. Style and code-switching between formal and informal registers also vary depending on social context.

1. LANGUAGE AND
SOCIAL
VARIATION
BY GEORGE YULE
COLLEGE: ISFD N°41
SUBJECT: LANGUAGE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION IV
STUDENTS: GIANELLA, JACQUELINE – DELGADO GISELA
TEACHER: SAUBIDET, STELLA
DATE: SEPTEMBER, 2020

2. INTRODUCTION
• AROUND THE WORLD, PEOPLE SPEAK ENGLISH IN DIFFERENT MANNERS ACCORDING TO
THE SPEECH COMMUNITY THEY BELONG TO.
• A SPEECH COMMUNITY RESPOND TO A SPECIFIC SET OF NORMS AND EXPECTATIONS
REGARDING THE USE OF LANGUAGE.
• GEORGE YULE FOCUSES ON THE VARIATIONS IN LANGUAGE USE IN TERMS OF EDUCATION
AND ECONOMIC STATUS.
• SOCIOLINGUISTICS IS THE STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND
SOCIETY. THIS CHAPTER EXPLAINS SOCIAL VARIATIONS THAT ARE PRODUCED WHEN
ANALYZING LANGUAGE FROM A SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE

3. SOCIAL DIALECTS
• REFER TO PRONUNCIATION AND WORDS OR STRUCTURES USED BY PEOPLE
BELONGING TO DIFFERENT SOCIAL CLASSES
• THE TWO MAIN SOCIAL GROUPS ARE MIDDLE CLASS AND WORKING CLASS.
• MIDDLE CLASS REPRESENTS PEOPLE WHO HAVE MORE YEARS OF EDUCATION AND
PERFORM NON-MANUAL WORK.
• WORKING CLASS REFERS TO THOSE WHO HAVE FEWER YEARS OF EDUCATION AND
DO PERFORM MANUAL WORKS OF SOME KIND.
• THE TERM “UPPER” AND “LOWER” ARE USED TO FULLY SUBDIVIDE THEM.

4. EDUCATION AND
OCCUPATION
• THERE ARE DIFFERENCES IN THE SPOKEN AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE BETWEEN THOSE WHO
LEAVE THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM AT AN EARLY AGE AND THOSE WHO HAVE SPENT MORE
TIME IN.
• EDUCATED PEOPLE TEND TO PRODUCE MORE FORMAL AND PROPER FEATURES THAT
DERIVE FROM THE LONG EXPOSURE TO WRITTEN LANGUAGE.
• EDUCATION ALSO SHAPES OUR OCCUPATION AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS SINCE THOSE
WHO HAD MORE TIME IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE BETTER
PAID JOBS.
• UNEDUCATED PEOPLE HAS LESS

5. SOCIAL MARKERS
• THIS ARE LANGUAGE FEATURES THAT CAN OCCUR FREQUENTLY (OR NOT) IN
PEOPLE`S SPEECH.
• THIS FREQUENCY MARKS PEOPLE AS A MEMBER OF A PARTICULAR SOCIAL
GROUP.
• THESE FEATURES ARE ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER CLASS AND LESS
EDUCATION

6. SPEECH STYLE AND
STYLE SHIFTING
• FORMAL OR CAREFUL AND INFORMAL OR CASUAL
• STYLE SHIFTING OCCURS WHEN LANGUAGE USERS DON’T ALWAYS
ADOPT THE SAME STYLE, THEY CAN CHANGE FROM ONE TO THE
OTHER ACCORDING TO THE CONTEXT OF THE SITUATION.
• IT IS POSSIBLE TO USE ELICITATION PROCEDURES TO CREATE MORE
GRADATION IN THE CATEGORY OF STYLE

7. PRESTIGE
• IS A WAY OF EXPLAINING THE DIRECTION IN WHICH CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS CHANGE THEIR
SPEECH FROM CASUAL TO CAREFUL STYLE IN A PARTICULAR SITUATION.
• THESE STANDARDS CAN BE SHAPED ACCORDING TO OVERT AND COVERT PRESTIGE.
• IN SITUATIONS OF OVERT PRESTIGE, PEOPLE VALUE STANDARD AND "FORMAL" LANGUAGE
FEATURES, AND EXPRESSES POWER AND STATUS.
• IN COVERT PRESTIGE SITUATIONS, PEOPLE VALUE VERNACULAR LANGUAGE, AND
EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY, COMMUNITY AND GROUP IDENTITY MORE THAN AUTHORITY.

8. SPEECH ACCOMMODATION
CONVERGENCE
1) C’MON TONY, GIZZALOOK, GIZZALOOK.
2) EXCUSE ME, COULD I HAVE A LOOK AT
YOUR PHOTOS TOO, MRS HALL?
DIVERGENCE
TEEN: I CAN’T DO IT SIR.
TEACHER: OH COME ON! IF I CAN DO IT, YOU
CAN DO IT.
TEEN: LOOK, I CANNAE DAE IT SO..

9. REGISTER
JARGON
• SPECIFIC AREA OF WORK .
• INSIDE ESTABLISHED SOCIAL GROUP.
• FOR EXAMPLE: MEDICAL REGISTER.
SLANG
• EVERYDAY CONVERSATION.
• OUTSIDE ESTABLISHED SOCIAL STATUS.
• FOR EXAMPLE: THE WORD “BUCKS”

10. AFRICAN AMERICAN ENGLISH
AFRICAN AMERICAN VERNACULAR ENGLISH (AAVE)
• VERNACULAR SOCIAL STATUS: LOW AND HIGH PRESTIGE.
• GENERAL EXPRESSIONS SOCIAL DIALECTS (LOWER STATUS GROUP)
NON-STANDARD
• FOR EXAMPLE: LEFT HAND LEF HAN

11. GRAMMATICALLY
• AAVE FOCUSES ON THE FREQUENT ABSENCE OF FORMS OF THE VERB TO BE
• FOR EXAMPLE: - “YOU CRAZY” OR “SHE WORKIN NOW”
- “SHE BE WORKIN NOW”
- “SHE BIN WORKIN THERE”
- “SHE DON’T BE WORKIN.