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HI-LING
LINGUISTICS IN THE HIGH SCHOOL
Introduction to Sociolinguistics
What is the field of sociolinguistics all about? This lesson provides some context before you deep dive into the other subfields.
Why do researchers link language with society?
A society forms when a collective of individuals unites with a certain purpose or purposes. A language reflects the culture of a specific social group. Therefore, to understand the linguistic behavior of individuals, one must have the knowledge of the individuals' communities.
What is sociolinguistics?
Sociolinguistics explores the relationship between language and society, with the purpose of better understanding the structure of language and the function of language in communication. It deals with variation in language. Sociolinguists are interested in why this variation exists, how the different forms are distributed in a society (i.e. which individuals and groups use them, when and how) and what function variation has (why people use certain linguistic forms and what effects this has).
Furthermore, sociolinguistics is also socially critical. It not only describes and explains social aspects of language and the use of language, but also points out language-related social ills (such as linguistic discrimination and language-related social inequality). It aims to contribute towards social improvement.