Sociolinguistics is the study of language in relation to social factors such as regional dialects, gender differences, bilingualism, and how language varies based on social context. It examines the relationship between language and society. Noam Chomsky argued that linguists should distinguish between competence (a speaker's abstract knowledge of language) and performance (how language is used), focusing on characterizing competence. However, others argue that performance and variation must be considered to fully understand a language since it varies based on situations and social norms. Sociolinguistics studies society to understand language while the sociology of language studies language to understand society.

1. Sociolinguistics
By
Syed Uzma Paiam

2. What is sociolinguistics?
THE STUDY OF LANGUAGE IN RELATION TO SOCIAL FACTORS, INCLUDING
DIFFERENCES OF REGIONAL, CLASS, AND OCCUPATIONAL DIALECT, GENDER
DIFFERENCES, AND BILINGUALISM.
SOCIOLINGUISTICS IS THE STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY. SOCIOLINGUISTICS CAN HELP US UNDERSTAND
WHY WE SPEAK DIFFERENTLY IN VARIOUS SOCIAL CONTEXTS, AND HELP
UNCOVER THE SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN A COMMUNITY.

3. Terminology
SOCIETY: IS ANY GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DRAWN TOGETHER FOR A
CERTAIN PURPOSE OR PURPOSES.
LANGUAGE: IS WHAT THE MEMBERS OF A PARTICULAR SOCIETY SPEAK.

4. Our knowledge of language
WHEN TWO OR MORE PEOPLE COMMUNICATE IN SPEECH, WE CALL THIS
SYSTEM OF COMMUNICATION A CODE.
IN MOST CASES CODE= LANGUAGE.
BILINGUAL PEOPLE 2 LANGUAGES = 2 CODES
- 1ST LANGUAGE = 1ST CODE
- - 2ND LANGUAGE = 2ND CODE-
- MIXING THE TWO LANGUAGES = 3RD CODE (NEW)

5. HE BEST PERSON TO DESCRIBE A LANGUAGE OR THE GRAMMAR OF THE
LANGUAGE IS THE SPEAKER OF THAT LANGUAGE.
HOWEVER, THE KNOWLEDGE OF ONE’S LANGUAGE IS VERY HARD TO
DESCRIBE. WHY?
LINGUISTS SAY THAT SPEAKERS KNOWLEDGE OF LANGUAGES IS QUITE
ABSTRACT.
RULES OF LANGUAGE, WAYS OF SAYING THINGSTHE POSSIBILITIES THE
LANGUAGE OFFERS AND WHAT IS IMPOSSIBLE.
WHAT IS CORRECT WHAT IS NOT CORRECT? (HEAR IT FOR THE FIRST TIME)

6. Chomsky’s approach
AN ATTEMPT TO DESCRIBE THE GRAMMAR OF ENGLISH
FOLLOW NOAM CHOMSKY’S APPROACH
THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FIGURE IN LATE TWENTIETH-CENTURY LINGUISTIC
THEORIZING.
HE ARGUES THAT LINGUISTS MUST DISTINGUISH BETWEEN WHAT IS
IMPORTANT AND UNIMPORTANT ABOUT LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS
BEHAVIOR.

7. IMPORTANT MATTERS: THE LEARNABILITY OF ALL LANGUAGES, THE
CHARACTERISTICS THEY SHARE, AND THE RULES THAT SPEAKERS FOLLOW
IN CONSTRUCTING AND INTERPRETING SENTENCES. = COMPETENCE
UNIMPORTANT MATTERS: HAVE TO DO WITH HOW INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS
USE SPECIFIC UTTERANCES IN A VARIETY OF WAYS AS THEY FIND
THEMSELVES IN THIS SITUATION OR THAT. = PERFORMANCE

8. CHOMSKY’S VIEW (APPROACH)
COMPETENCE-PERFORMANCE DISTINCTION
THE LINGUIST’S TASK IS TO CHARACTERIZE WHAT SPEAKERS KNOW ABOUT
THEIR LANGUAGE (THEIR COMPETENCE), NOT WHAT THEY DO WITH THEIR
LANGUAGE (THEIR PERFORMANCE).

9. The problem of variation
CHOMSKY’S VIEW = COMPETENCE- PERFORMANCE
PROBLEM. WHY?
MUCH OF THE VARIETY THAT IS INTERESTING TO LINGUISTS IS
CATEGORIZED AS PERFORMANCE.

10. EVERYDAY LANGUAGE VARIES CONSIDERABLY.
LANGUAGE IS NOT ONLY AN ABSTRACT OBJECT OF STUDY. IT IS
SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE USE.
LINGUISTS WHO FOLLOW CHOMSKY’S APPROACH SAY THAT BEFORE
STUDYING LANGUAGE IN USE WE SHOULD ACQUIRE AN EFFICIENT
KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT LANGUAGE ITSELF IS (HOW IT IS LEARNED AND
WHAT IT TELLS ABOUT THE HUMAN MIND).

11. An alternative view
THE USE AND THE VARIATION OF ANY LANGUAGE MUST BE CONSIDERED
IN ORDER TO HAVE AN ADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LANGUAGE.
AN ADEQUATE LINGUISTIC THEORY MUST HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY
ABOUT THE USES OF LANGUAGE.
RONALD WARDHAUGH VIEW = THE VIEW ADOPTED IN THE BOOK.

12. VARIETY IN USE = SAY THINGS IN DIFFERENT WAYS, USE DIFFERENT
LANGUAGE IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS.
BUT. THERE ARE LIMITS.
INDIVIDUALS HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF VARIOUS LIMITS OR (NORMS), AND
THAT KNOWLEDGE IS BOTH VERY PRECISE AND AT THE SAME TIME
ENTIRELY UNCONSCIOUS.
KNOW WHAT IS CORRECT OR NOT EVEN HEARING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME.

13. Relationships between language and society
THERE ARE 4 POSSIBLE VIEWS:
1- SOCIAL STRUCTURE INFLUENCES OR DETERMINES LINGUISTIC
STRUCTURE.
E.G., AGE CHILDREN/ADULTS SPEAK DIFFERENTLY
REGIONAL/SOCIAL/ETHNIC ORIGIN /GENDER (MALE, FEMALE)
2- OPPOSITE TO THE 1ST VIEW
LINGUISTIC STRUCTURE INFLUENCES OR DETERMINES SOCIAL STRUCTURE.

14. 3- INFLUENCE IS BI-DIRECTIONAL: LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY MAY
INFLUENCE EACH OTHER.
‘SPEECH BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR ARE IN A STATE OF CONSTANT
INTERACTION’
4- NO RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LINGUISTIC STRUCTURE AND SOCIAL
STRUCTURE.
CHOMSKY’S VIEW

15. Sociolinguistics and the Sociology of language
SOCIOLINGUISTICS IS THE STUDY OF LANGUAGE IN RELATION TO SOCIETY.
WE STUDY SOCIETY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LANGUAGE.
SOCIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE IS THE STUDY OF SOCIETY IN RELATION TO
LANGUAGE. WE STUDY LANGUAGE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SOCIETY.