Sociolect & Idiolect

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• Leerjaar 4

Language & Identity

Social Context

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Social Context

Even in the most egalitarian societies, one has a sense of social class and the linguistic features that are associated with these classes. In George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, the main character claims he can turn a 'flower girl' into a 'duchess', by teaching how to speak 'properly'.

Discuss in your group:

•  Is your social class defined by how you speak? 
  
• Or is your speech a reflection of your class? 
  
• How is your use of language an indication of the social groups to which you belong? 
  

Idiolect & Sociolect

Every individual has a unique way of speaking and writing, known as an 'idiolect'. As described last week, one's linguistic identity is comprised of several factors, such as profession, social class, family, gender and age. Every individual also has a way of speaking that marks him or her as a member of a group, known as a 'sociolect'. These linguistic 'markers' are sometimes very specific to smaller groups or very typical of larger groups. They can be used, consciously or subconsciously, to show one's allegiance to a group. 

For example, someone from Newcastle may use the word "yous" for the second person plural instead of the Standard British English "you". This linguistic marker would typify them as a speaker of Geordie. Not everyone from Newcastle speaks Geordie, however, which is why Geordie may be considered a kind of dialect known as a 'sociolect'. 

Slang

Slang is a kind of linguistic marker that identifies one as a member of a social group. Slang words might be considered 'non-standard', falling outside the realm of 'standard' register. Slang is a way of dividing up speakers into 'insiders' and 'outsiders', as some people will know what is meant by certain words, and other people will not know what is meant by certain words. For example, a word such as 'dope' might be used by rappers to mean 'great' or 'cool'. Speakers who are not familiar with rap culture will miss this meaning. In the extract from movie Airplane ("I speak Jive"), the sociolect 'Jive' is depicted as a completely different language, which is not comprehensible to mainstream speakers of English. 

Jargon

When a golfer speaks of a 'bird', he is not referring to a flying animal. When doctor refers to 'BP', she is not referring to British Petroleum, but 'blood pressure'. In brief, certain language is limited to the domains of certain professions, sports or religious contexts. Such language that belongs to such domains is known as 'jargon'. 

Code Switching

The humour in the extract from Airplane, "I speak Jive", has to do with the older woman who speaks 'Jive' as if it were a second language. She does not appear to be a member of the social group that usually speaks 'Jive'. In fact the language of the African-American passengers in this movie is more commonly referred to as African American Vernacular English (AAVE), which can be considered a widely spoken sociolect in the United States (by both blacks and whites). Many speakers of AAVE also speak Standard American English and have the ability to switch between language varieties. This phenomenon switching between varieties is known as 'code switching'. 

Diglossia

In some languages, such as Arabic, there is a higher form of language that is used for official, religious contexts and a lower form of language used for other informal contexts. This phenomenon of a 'high' and 'low' language is known as 'diglossia'. While diglossia does not exist in 

Informal (Anglo-saxon based) Formal (latin based). 

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Pick one of the slang words from the song: What is the effect of using this word? How does this use of vocabulary help construct his identity?

Pick one of the slang words from the song: What is the effect of using this word? How does this use of vocabulary help construct his identity?

From what kind of 'culture' does Big L come? What makes you say this?

Generally speaking, why do people use slang? More specifically, why does Big L use slang?

Discuss

Is the extract from Planes ('I speak Jive') offensive to African Americans? Watch the extract and comment on the way in which the older white woman uses language. Can you follow what she and the African Americans say exactly? Is this extract funny? 

In your notes make a summary using the terms: 

Linguistic marker

Sociolect

Idiolect

Slang

Jargon

Diglossia

Code switching