This document discusses key concepts related to speech communities in sociolinguistics. It defines a speech community as a group that shares similar language ideas, uses, and norms. The document outlines five key elements for defining a speech community, including a population, area, interaction between members, and a shared sense of identity. It also discusses how an individual's participation within a speech community can be measured using their social network and relationships. Language variation is explained as differing based on factors like socioeconomic status within a speech community.

1. H.M.C.D.HERATH
Trincomalee campus,
Eastern university,
Sri lanka.
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2. CONTENT
Introduction -Key terms
Definitions of speech community
Role of a single person within/out side the speech
community
How do we measure an individual’s participation in
the social group/speech community?
Sociolinguistics
Group
Social network
Internal/external language
Five key elements for the speech community
Intersecting communities
Network relationship
Language variation
conclusion 2

3. Language is both an
individual possession
and social possession.
Speech community is
hard to define because
it is not a true definition.
The kind of group that
sociolinguistics attempt
to study is called speech
community.
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4. Community
“A group of people with a shared
set of activities,practices,beliefs
and social structure”
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5. A speech
community
“A group of people who share
similar ideas, uses and norms
of language”
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6. Language variety
“Refer to a set of communicative
forms and norms for their use that
are restricted to a particular group,
community or activities”
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7. DEFINITIONS
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8. Lyons (1970):
"All people who use a give language or dialect“
Labov (1972):
"Participation in a set of shared norms; these norms may be
observed in overt types of evaluative behavior, and by the
uniformity of abstract patterns of variation which are invariant in
respect to particular levels of usage”
Gumperz (1971):
"A social group which may be either monolingual or multilingual,
held together by frequency of social interaction and set off from
the surrounding areas by weaknesses in the lines of
communication"
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9. We want to pay attention to the use of the
vernacular when establishing the role of a
single person within/outside the speech
community. By looking at extreme, we can
define the core of the group
 Interlopers - people who move to a
new dialect area. How well do they fit
in? Depends on their age, ability,
motivation/desire
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10.  Insiders - people at the very core of the
social group. They're highly integrated,
involved in the group, but not necessarily
group leaders. They are the leading force of
spreading linguistic change.
 Outsiders - they are not part of the
mainstream, isolated, considered
uncool. Also called 'lames'. Tend to be
linguistically conservative, don't use slang,
don't use vernacular -- less 'local'-sounding.
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11.  Aspirers - social ambitions beyond the
"immediate domain" (the local
group). Tend to be more standard.
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12. How do we measure an individual's
participation in the social group/speech
community?
1) Social Network Analysis
emphasizes the individual's place within a
social network to seek to account for the
variability in individual linguistic behavior
rather than large scale characterization of
the community
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13. This is observing the micro-level social
clusters. As a rule, the stronger a
person's network ties to a local group,
the stronger the participation in the
local vernacular.
Measuring network ties: density is
the number of ties; multiplexity is
the content of the ties
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14. 2) Sociometrics
A way to measure multiplexity -- how
reciprocal is the
relationship? (Measuring popularity, in a
way)
3) Network integration
kinship, work, territory-based activities
(teams), social groups, physical
proximity all play a role
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15. 4) Acts of identity: A individual creates for
himself the patterns of his linguistic
behavior .So as to resemble those of the
group or groups which he whishes to be
identified, and to be unlike those from
whom he wishes to be distinguished.
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16. Sociolinguistics
 It is the study of language used within
or among group or speakers.
 Group must have at least two
members.
 There are different purposes that they
get together.
Social
Religious
Political
Cultural 16

17. Group
 The group may be temporary or permanent.
 The purposes of it’s members may change.
 It’s members may come and go.
 They may also belong to other groups and may
or may not meet face to face.
 The organization of the group may be tight or
loose
 The importance of group membership is likely
to vary among individuals within the group.
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18. Social network
Any way of describing a particular speech
community in terms of relations among it’s
individual members.
Tight community:
 All members of one group interacting with
each other.
Looser community:
 Little interaction among the members of a
group.
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19. Internal/External language
External Language:
 All that happens among people in
social context.
Internal Language:
 All which happens inside our minds.
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20. Five key elements for the
speech community
Foundational condition
Population
Area
Improving condition
Facility
Identification
Interaction
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21. Intersecting communities
 People do use expressions,idiolectes
that they have some idea of how a
“typical” person from each place
speakers to be a member of a particular
speech community somewhat loosely
defined.
Ex- New York speech
London speech
South African speech
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22. Network relationship
Open network:
 Provides open access to its users.
Information is often new and of importance.
Closed network:
 Mostly strong ties, Information that flows
in these networks tend to be redundant and
inefficient.
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23. Language Variation
 The notion of speech community is most
generally used as a tool to define a unit of
analysis within which to analyze language
variation and change. Stylistic features
differ among speech communities based
on factors such as the group's
socioeconomic status, common interests
and the level of formality expected within
the group and by its larger society.
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24. Conclusion
 It is important to remember that group is
a relative concept with respect to speech
community.
 Also that an individual belongs to various
speech communities, at the same time,
but he/she will identify with only one of
them.
 There are many definitions for speech
community which are all different too
simple and too complex.
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25. References
www..ling.upenn.edu/…./sc-lecture.html
En.m.wikipedia.org/…/Speech-communit….
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