This document discusses speech communities and speech varieties. A speech community is defined as a group that shares a language or language variety and whose members interact frequently. There are four main types of speech varieties: standard languages, social dialects, regional varieties, and registers. Standard languages are promoted varieties, while social dialects are defined by social attributes. Regional varieties are defined geographically and registers are defined by social context or situation. The document also discusses social differentiation of language and how socioeconomic status can correlate with differences in language use.

1. Language in social context

2. Speech Community
• Members share a particular language
(or a variety of language) for the
appropriate use of their language in
social context and that these
speakers be distinguished from other
comparable groups by similar
sociolinguistic criteria. (Katamba and
Southerland n.d.)

3. Speech Community
• Shared language use (Lyons 1970)
• Frequency of interaction by a group of people
(Bloomfield 1933; Hockett 1958; Gumperz
1962)
• Shared rules of speaking and interpretations of
speech performance (Hymes 1972)
• Shared attitudes and values regarding
language forms and language use (Labov
1972)

4. Speech Variety
-label given to that language (or form of
language) used by any group of speakers.
Four types of Speech varieties:
Standard language
Social Dialect / Sociolect
Regional Varieties
Registers

5. STANDARD LANGUAGE
• variety that is selected and promoted by
either authorities or other social institutions,
such as schools or media. Standard varieties
are more prestigious than other.
• Employed by the government and media,
used and taught in education institutions

6. SOCIAL DIALECT / SOCIOLECT
• dialect has to do with separation brought
about by different social conditions.
• the way we speak that is individual to a social
group. It may have features that cross the
linguistic methods e.g. lexical choice,
grammar, phonology (pronunciation). Most
people use several different sociolects e.g.
occupational groups, friendship groups, family
groups, cultural groups etc.

7. REGIONAL VARIETY
• speech characteristic of a region
• a variety of a language spoken in a
particular area of a country.
• is the distinct form of a language
spoken in a certain geographical
area.

8. REGISTER
• a variety of language defined
according to its use in a social
situation.
• functional speech variety
• associated with specific contexts or
situations and with specific functions
of language (Zwicky, A 1982)

9. TYPES
• Formal
–One way communications with no
interruption
–Used in impersonal , formal settings
–Follows a complete format (i.e.
compete sentences, more complex
syntax & specific word usages)
–Often used to show respect

10. • Casual
–Informal language, ellipsis and
slangs are common
–no background information
–“group” language
–Interruptions are common

11. • Technical
–Specialized variety of language
used in specialized situations
–“jargons”
–E.g. airline pilots use to
communicate with air traffic
controllers
• Simplified
–Motherese
–Baby talk

12. Social Differentiation of Language
-refers to correlation between variation in language uses
and a speaker’s membership in various social group.
Social Stratification
Correlation of differences in how people speak with
their membership in various social groups
Social Correlate:
SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS (SES)
Vertical Variation
SES is equated with the level of language use.

13. Studying Social Variation
Social Network Analysis
– Provides a methodology for studying the
interaction between patterns of maintenance
and patterns of change.
– Basic Assumption : to understand how
language changes are adopted by
communities, we must also take account of
patterns of resistance to change.

14. Social network
• sample
C:UserssweetDocumentsSOCIAL NETWORK SAMPLE