The document discusses how language varies based on social characteristics and contexts, highlighting the concept of a verbal repertoire used by linguistic communities. It also explores the distinction between different styles and registers of language, influenced by factors such as formality and social relationships. Additionally, the text examines the phenomenon of diglossia, where two varieties of a language exist within the same community, each serving distinct social functions.

1. Language and Context
1
SOCIOLINGUISTICS: AN INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGE
AND LINGUISTICS
ZUBAIR A. BAJWA
11/21/2017
Department of English, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, Pakistan
BY
M. Phil English Linguistics
CHAPTER: 5
IN
PETER TRUDGIL
zbr141@gmail.com

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 Language varies not only according to the social characteristics of
speakers - such as the factors of social class, ethnic group, and gender
but also according to the social context in which speakers find
themselves.
 The same speaker uses different linguistic varieties in different
situations and for different purposes. The totality of linguistic
varieties used in this way by a particular community of speakers can
be called that linguistic community's verbal repertoire
verbal repertoire
Register Slang Style
Register
Slang
Style
verbal repertoire
registers are independent of dialect
formality
Linguistic terms:
Morphophoneme,
allophone, digloss etc
،‫سپا‬ُ‫چ‬ ،‫چوول‬
،‫واٹ‬ ،‫بیٹا‬

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 These social factors control which variety from this verbal
repertoire is actually to be used on a particular occasion.
Style
formal
informal
• situation,
• social familiarity,
• kinship-relationship,
• politeness,
• seriousness
subsumes very many factors including situation, social familiarity,
kinship-relationship, politeness, seriousness
formality
in office
Talking to strangers
Talking to family members
Acknowledging other’s face

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Example
• Style can be ranged on a continuum
a series of similar items in which
each is almost the same as the
ones next to it but the last is very
different from the first
• In English style is characterized by vocabulary and sentence
structure; it can also be pronunciation.
o Slang is an example of vocabulary
o Passive voice and active voice is an example of sentence structure
• In other languages, style can be more inflexible
o You may have to choose from pronouns and suffixes. For example,
Urdu.
o Pronouns: o ،‫آپ‬ ،‫تم‬ ،‫تو‬
o ‫ان‬ ،‫اس‬

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o Verbal suffixes
o ،‫آپ‬ ،‫تم‬ ،‫تو‬
o ‫ان‬ ،‫اس‬
‫کر‬ ‫بیٹھ‬
‫کرو‬ ‫بیٹھو‬
‫کریں‬ ‫بیٹھیں‬
‫کرئیے‬ ‫بیٹھیے‬
‫کیجیے‬
Formal
informal
‫بیٹھ‬
‫رکھیں‬ ‫تشریف‬
o Co-occurrence restrictions also occur at each level
‫تو‬ + ‫کر‬ / ‫بیٹھ‬
‫تم‬ ‫کرو‬ / ‫بیٹھو‬
‫آپ‬ + ،‫کرو‬،‫کریں‬
‫کیجئے‬
/ ‫تشریف‬‫رکھیں‬

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‫تو‬ + ‫کیجئے‬ / ‫بیٹھیے‬
o There is no necessary connection between style and dialect
o Register and style are also independent
 'context' may have some bearing on the formality of the language
used such as the person spoken to, and the role relationships
and relative statuses of the participants in a discourse.
• For example, speech between individuals of unequal
• rank in an organization, social class, age
• Address Forms
o Depends on status and intimacy

7. FOR EXAMPLE
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English Urdu
First name Last name Family
name
John Diggle
First name Last name Family
name
Riaz Ahmad Mangrio
• Formal addressing
• informal addressing
• Close friends addressing
o Mr Diggle
o John
o Dig.
• Formal addressing
• informal addressing
• Close friends addressing
o Riaz Sahab
o Mangrio sahab
o Mangrio
o Riaz

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• “Sir”
o In Pakistan, it is commonly used as a form of address in formal
contexts
o In the USA, it a common form of address used to address
unfamiliar persons.
• ‫جی‬ ‫استاد‬
o Uneducated social class generally used this phrase to address
persons high in status and unfamiliar ones.

9. SITUATIONAL SWITCHING
11/21/2017
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 In certain other language communities, situational switching must take place
between different dialects.
• In these cases, one dialect will occur in formal situations, and another in
informal situations.
o For example, native speakers of Lowland Scots dialects may switch to
Standard English
• particular kind of language standardization where two distinct varieties
of a language exist side by side throughout the speech community
(not just in the case of a particular group of speakers, such as
working-class Scots).
• each of the two varieties is assigned a definite social function
Diglossia

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Diglossia
Low Variety High Variety
Arabic: colloquial Classic
Urdu: colloquial Classic
 High Variety: used in sermons, formal letters, political speeches, university
lectures, news broadcasts, newspaper editorials, and 'high' poetry
 Low variety: conversation with family and friends, radio serials, political and
academic discussions, political cartoons, and 'folk' literature
The most important feature the specialization of function of the two
varieties

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• low diglossic variety is standardized
• the two varieties have names and are felt to be distinct the
situations where each is to be used are socially fairly well
defined and - and this is of great importance - no section of the
community regularly uses the high variety as the normal medium
of everyday conversation.
 Main differences between diglossic and other situations
• The high variety has no native speakers and in all cases has to
be learnt as a school language.
• This is why the situations where the high variety is used involve either
written language or, if spoken language is involved, tend to be
situations where preparation is possible. Where, in isolated cases,
individuals do attempt to use the high variety in everyday speech
this is generally felt to be artificial, pedantic, snobbish

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• Linguistically speaking, the differences between the two
varieties may be considerable.
o Many of the differences are vocabulary differences.
o Many pairs of words may occur, referring to common
objects or concepts, where the meaning is roughly the
same, but where the usage of one item rather than
another immediately indicates high or low variety.