Explanation how language varies according to social status

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.