L23B: Sociolinguistics 2005-2006 Please Turn off all cellular phones & pagers L23B Website: www.mona.uwi.edu/dllp/courses/l23b 9/21/2018

Topics for this Session Theories explaining: Language Variation Language Change 9/21/2018

THEORIES/TOOLS developed to account for variation & change Social Networks Accommodation Theory Acts of Identity Ideology & language use 9/21/2018

Sources 1. Social Network Prescribed Text ch. 16, Wardhaugh (pg.127-130, 180-183), Holmes (pg.183-191). 2.    Acts of Identity LePage (on reserve), Prescribed Text ch. 20. Article in Tutor’s pack 3.    Accommodation Theory Prescribed Text ch. 18, Holmes (pg. 230-234). 4. Language and Ideology Prescribed Text ch. 6, Woolard (available at DITTO). 9/21/2018

Networks close knit networks will create value for variety of network close knit networks will create a counter balance to change those with loose network ties will be more susceptible to change 9/21/2018

Networks cont’d gender difference – in language production hence difference in networks.   Class differences – in language can be explained through networks 9/21/2018

Social Networks MILROY & MILROY (1992) Network Strength “to the extent that ties are strong, linguistic change will be prevented, … whereas to the extent that they are weak, they will be more open to external influences and so linguistic change will be facilitated” 9/21/2018

Social Network – Caribbean Application Walter F. Edwards. (1984) Socializing the Continuum- Guyana in SCL Occasional Papers – 5th conference 9/21/2018

Ideology “the particular system of beliefs and assumptions that underlies every linguistic analysis and every social event” 9/21/2018

Ideology Society’s perception towards variants: Correct Prestigious Stigmatized 9/21/2018

Ideology Ideology - Changes in English centred on: language purity elegance of production Logic Comparison with other prestigious languages eg. Latin 9/21/2018

Ideology – Caribbean Alison Irvine in JPCL vol. 19:1 (pp 41-75) And also: In English world-wide vol 15:1 (pp.55-78) 9/21/2018

Accommodation Theory Giles was interested in: “how speakers changed the way they spoke according to the person they were talking to”. a speaker may converge or diverge along several dimensions. 9/21/2018

Accommodation Theory_Schema Speakers A & B. (prescribed text) (1)     A samples B’s speech and: i.    draw inferences re personality of B. ii.   assumes that B values such characteristics iii.    assumes B will approve of him to the extent that A displays similar characteristics. 9/21/2018

Schema cont’d Speakers A & B. (2) A chooses from his repertoire, patterns of speech which will project characteristics of which B is assumed to approved. 9/21/2018

Accommodation_Jamaica Done through: Code-mixing, code-shifting, style-shifting. These are influenced by: competence/proficiency topic selected participants (converge/diverge) 9/21/2018

Code-mixing/switching Conversation between owner and gardener Speaker A(owner): good morning, what can I do for you? Speaker B(gardener): Mmm, a mi bil Maas Roy yaad, an im se yu a luk fi sumadi fi du fi-yu sar. Speaker A: ohhh! Good. A niid wan gyardner bad bad. Humoch days yu kan gi mi? 9/21/2018

Readings Shields-Brodber (1992) Hens Can Crow Too in SCL – 9th conference. 9/21/2018

Acts of Identity LePage & Tabouret-Keller (1985), Projection, Focusing, Diffusing “speakers often consciously rather than unconsciously use language to convey their social identity” 9/21/2018

Acts of Identity Projecting and Focusing Every speech act is an act of projection. Each speech act is an announcement. 9/21/2018

Acts of Identity_Constraints 1. the extent to which we are able to identify our model groups 2. the extent to which we have sufficient access to them and sufficient analytical ability to work out the rules of their behaviour. 9/21/2018

Acts of Identity_Constraints 3. the strength of various (possibly conflicting) motivations towards one or another model. 4. our ability to modify our behaviour 9/21/2018