1. Generalizations
1. Distinguishing social relationships: Solidarity / Status (??) 2. Distinguishing contextual styles: Formality 3. Expressing basic speech functions: Referential / Affective 4. Language change: Language variation / Social variation
Holmes, Janet An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 4th edition. London: Pearson, p. 450.
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2. Sociolinguistic Universal 1
IF There is a reciprocal use of something like tu for solidarity It is accompanied by its use to show power
Holmes, Janet An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 4th edition. London: Pearson, p. 450.
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3. Sociolinguistic Universal 2
IF A feature (like h- dropping) shows a shift in style (formality) It will also signal a difference in social group
Holmes, Janet An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 4th edition. London: Pearson, p. 450.
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4. Sociolinguistic Universal 3
AS Social distance or status/power difference increases More negative politeness forms will be used
Holmes, Janet An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 4th edition. London: Pearson, p. 450.
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5. Topics NOT Adequately Covered (because of space constraints)
 Globalization of English  Many applied sociolinguistic topics  Bilingual education gets only a mention  Implications for L2 learning
Holmes, Janet An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 4th edition. London: Pearson, p. 452.
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6. Encouraging Sociolinguistic Competence 1
Seek to understand:  Linguistic relativity (variation across cultures)  Sociolinguistic rules (what English/American ones—and Chinese ones are) Help them sound / come across the way they want to and successfully carry out speech functions  Potential for misunderstanding How to avoid it
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7. Encouraging Sociolinguistic Competence 2
Seek to understand:  Culture Shock How to immunize against it with culture capsules, etc.  English in a globalized world; lingua franca
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