Language and society
Language and Society
1. The relatedness between language and Society
1) While language is principally used to communicate meaning, it is also used to establish and maintain social relationships.
2) Users of the same language in a sense all speak differently. The kind of language each of them chooses to use is in part determined by his social background. Language, in its turn, reveals information about its speaker.
3) To some extent, language, especially the structure of its lexicon, reflects the physical environments of a society. Whereas English, for example, has only one word for snow (or two if we include sleet), Eskimo has several. The reasons for this are obvious. It is essential for Eskimos to be able to distinguish efficiently between different types of snow. English, of course, is quite able to make the same distinctions: fine snow, dry snow, soft snow, and so on, but in Eskimos this sort of distinction is lexicalized---made by means of individual words.
4) To some extent, language, especially the structure of its lexicon reflects social environments of a society. As society is reflected in language in this way, social change can produce a corresponding linguistic change. As a social phenomenon, the evaluation of a linguistic form is entirely social.
2. Speech community
A speech community is defined as a group of people who form a community and share the same language or a particular variety of language. The important characteristics of a speech community:
A. They speak the same language or dialect.
B. The members of the group must interact linguistically with other members of the community.
C. They may share similar attitudes toward linguistic norms.
3. Speech varieties
Speech variety, also known as language variety, refers to any distinguishable form of speech used by a speaker or group of speakers. The distinctive characteristics of a speech variety are mainly reflected in its pronunciation,
1. The relatedness between language and Society
1) While language is principally used to communicate meaning, it is also used to establish and maintain social relationships.
2) Users of the same language in a sense all speak differently. The kind of language each of them chooses to use is in part determined by his social background. Language, in its turn, reveals information about its speaker.
3) To some extent, language, especially the structure of its lexicon, reflects the physical environments of a society. Whereas English, for example, has only one word for snow (or two if we include sleet), Eskimo has several. The reasons for this are obvious. It is essential for Eskimos to be able to distinguish efficiently between different types of snow. English, of course, is quite able to make the same distinctions: fine snow, dry snow, soft snow, and so on, but in Eskimos this sort of distinction is lexicalized---made by means of individual words.
4) To some extent, language, especially the structure of its lexicon reflects social environments of a society. As society is reflected in language in this way, social change can produce a corresponding linguistic change. As a social phenomenon, the evaluation of a linguistic form is entirely social.
2. Speech community
A speech community is defined as a group of people who form a community and share the same language or a particular variety of language. The important characteristics of a speech community:
A. They speak the same language or dialect.
B. The members of the group must interact linguistically with other members of the community.
C. They may share similar attitudes toward linguistic norms.
3. Speech varieties
Speech variety, also known as language variety, refers to any distinguishable form of speech used by a speaker or group of speakers. The distinctive characteristics of a speech variety are mainly reflected in its pronunciation,