Sociolect

In sociolinguistics, a sociolect or social dialect is a variety of language (a register) used

by a socioeconomic class, a profession, an age group or other social group.[1]

Sociolects involve both passive acquisition of particular communicative practices

through association with a local community, as well as active learning and choice
among speech or writing forms to demonstrate identification with particular groups.[2]

Individuals who study sociolects are called sociolinguists. Sociolinguists study language
variation. Sociolinguists define a sociolect by examining the social distribution of specific
linguistic terms. For example, a sociolinguist would examine the use of the second
person pronoun "you" for its use within the population. If one distinct social group used
'yous' as the plural form of the pronoun then this could indicate the existence of a
sociolect. A sociolect is distinct from a dialect because social class rather than
geographical subdivision substantiates the unique linguistic features.[3]

Overview Edit

A sociolect, defined by Peter Trudgill, a leading sociolinguist and philosopher, is "a

variety or lect which is thought of as being related to its speakers' social background
rather than geographical background".[4]:122 This idea of sociolect began with the
commencement of dialectology, the study of different dialects in relation to social
society, which has been established in countries such as England for many years, but
only recently has the field garnered more attention.[5]:26 However, as opposed to a
dialect, the basic concept of a sociolect is that a person speaks in accordance with their
social group whether it is with regard to one's ethnicity, age, gender, etc. As William
Labov once said, "the sociolinguistic view…is that we are programmed to learn to speak
in ways that fit the general pattern of our communities".[6]:6 Therefore, what we are
surrounded with in unison with our environment determines how we speak; hence, our
actions and associations.

Distinguished from dialect Edit

The main distinction between a sociolect and a dialect, which are continually confused,
is the settings in which it is created. A dialect's main identifier is geography: a certain
region uses specific phonological, morphosyntactic or lexical rules.[4]:35 Asif Agha
expands the concept by stating that "the case where the demographic dimension
marked by speech are matters of geographic provenance along, such as speaker's birth
locale, extended residence and the like".[7]:135 However, a sociolect's main identifier is
a socioeconomic class, age, gender, and ethnicity in a certain speech community.

An example of a dialectal difference, based on region, is the use of the words soda or
pop and coke in different parts of the United States. As Thomas E. Murray states, "coke
is used generically by thousands of people, especially in the southern half of the
country."[8] On the other hand, pop is known to be a term that is used by many citizens
in the northern half of the country.

An example of a sociolect difference, based on social grouping, is the zero copula in

African American Vernacular English. It occurs in a specific ethnic group but in all areas
of the United States.[6]:48 William Labov gives an example: "he here" instead of "he's
here".[6]:38

Definitions Edit

Code switching is "the process whereby bilingual or bidialectal speakers switch back
and forth between one language or dialect and another within the same conversation".
[4]:23

Diglossia, associated with the American linguist Charles A. Ferguson, which describes a
sociolinguistic situation such as those that obtain in Arabic-speaking countries and in
German-speaking Switzerland. In such a diglossic community, the prestigious standard
of 'High'(or H) variety, which is linguistically related to but significantly different from the
vernacular or 'Low' (or L) varieties, has no native speakers.[4]:389

Domain is "different language, dialects, or styles are used in different social contexts".
[4]:41

Language attitudes are "social in origin, but that they may have important effects on
language behavior, being involved in acts of identity, and on linguistic change."[4]:73

Linguistic variable is "a linguistic unit…initially developed...in order to be able to handle

linguistics variation. Variables may be lexical and grammatical, but are most often
phonological". Example of British English (h) which is sometimes present and
sometimes not.[4]:83

Pragmatics is the meaning of a word in social context, while semantics has "purely
linguistic meaning".[4]:107

Register is "a language variety that is associated with a particular topic, subject, or
activity...." Usually, it is defined by vocabulary, but has grammatical features as well.
[4]:110

Examples Edit

Tamil caste system Edit

Example 1

The following is an example of the lexical distinction between the Mudaliyar and the
Iyengar groups of the Tamil-speaking caste in India. The Iyengar group is part of the
Brahmin caste which is scholarly and higher in the caste hierarchy than the non-
Brahmin or Mudaliyar, caste.[7]:136 The Mudaliyars use many of the same words for
things that are differentiated within the Iyengars' speech. For example, as you can see
below, the difference between drinking water, water in general, and non-potable water is
used by one word in the non-Brahmin caste and three separate words in the Brahmin
caste. Furthermore, Agha references how the use of different speech reflects a
"departure from a group-internal norm".[7]:139 For example, if the non-Brahmin caste
uses Brahmin terms in their mode of speech it is seen as self-raising, whereas if people
within the Brahmin caste use non-Brahmin speech it is seen as pejoratives.[7]:138
Therefore, depending on which castes use certain words the pragmatics change.
Hence, this speech system is determined by socioeconomic class and social context.

Gloss Mudaliyar (non-Brahmin) Iyengar (Brahmin)

Drinking Water tanni tirrto
Water in general tanni jalo
Non-potable water tanni tanni
Worship puuse puuje
food sooru saado
worship puuse puuje 'worship'// puuse 'punishment for children'
food sooru/ saado saado 'food'// sooru 'food' (pejorative)
eat tinnu/saapdo saapdo 'eat'// tinnu 'guzzle, etc.' (pejorative)
Norwegian socioeconomic sociolect Edit
Example 2

In the following example, we see the difference between the national standard and the
colloquial speech found in Norway where the phonology and pronunciation differ. As
Agha states, "Some lexical contrasts are due to the phonological difference (e.g., R
makes more consonantal and vocalic distinctions than B), while others are due to the
morphological difference (e.g., difference in plural suffixes and certain verb inflections)
between two varieties.[7]:140

Gloss National standard (Bokmål, B) Local variety (Ranamål, R)

I Jeg Eg
you Deg Deg
He Han Hanj
She Hun Ho
If Hvis Vess
To, toward Til Tell
Who Hvem Kem
How Hvordan Korsen
Diglossia Edit
Example 3

The chart below gives an example of diglossia in Arab-speaking nations and where it is
used. Diglossia is defined by Mesthrie as "[a] situation where two varieties of a
language exist side by side".[9] The Classical Arabic is known as ‫الفصحى‬, or al-fuṣḥā,
while the colloquial dialect depends on the country. For example, ‫شامي‬, or šāmi, is
spoken in Lebanon and parts of Syria. In many situations, there is a major lexical
difference among words in the classical and colloquial speech, as well as pronunciation
differences, such as a difference in short vowels, when the words are the same.
Although a specific example of diglossia was not given, its social context is almost if not
more important. For example, Halliday tells us that "in areas with Diglossia, the link
between language and success is apparent as the higher, classical register is learned
through formal education".[5]:175

HL
Sermon in church or mosque X
Instructions to servants, waiters, workmen, clerks, etc. X
Personal letter X
Speech in parliament, political speech X
University lecture X
Conversation with family, friends, colleagues X
News broadcast X
Radio soap opera X
Newspaper editorial, news story, caption on picture X
Caption on political cartoon X
Poetry X
Folk literature X
African American Vernacular English (AAVE) Edit
Example 4

Below is an example of the addition of the verbal -s not just on 3rd person singular
verbs in the present tense like in SAE, but added onto infinitives, first-person present
verbs, and 3rd person past perfect verbs.[6]:49

He can goes out.

I don't know how to gets no girls.
He'd knows that.
Further examples of the phenomenon in AAVE are provided below.

Below are examples of the lack of the possessive ending -s is usually absent in AAVE
but contains a rule As Labov shows states, "[the] use -s to indicate possession by a
single noun or pronoun, but never between the possessor and the possessed."[6]:49

"This is hers, This is mines, This is John's, but not in her book, my book, John
book"[6]:49

"Interview with Bryan A., seven years old, a struggling reader in a West Philadelphia
elementary school:

If I don't get out my mom room, I get in trouble and when I don't get out my sister room
she hit me.
Bernicia penpal gave me one.
That's what he did to my cousin Raymond dog at my cousin house.
I was acting like I stole my sister food.
At the museum, it was fun, we went in somebody heart."[6]:49
Effects Edit

Code-switching Edit
Many times within communities that contain sociolects that separate groups
linguistically it is necessary to have a process where the independent speech
communities can communicate in the same register; even if the change is as simple as
different pronunciation. Therefore, the act of codeswitching becomes essential.
Codeswitching is defined as "the process whereby bilingual or bidialectal speakers
switch back and forth between one language or dialect and another within the same
conversation".[10]:23 At times codeswitching can be situational, depending on the
situation or topical, depending on the topic. Halliday terms this the best when he defines
the role of discourse stating that "it is this that determines, or rather correlates with, the
role played by the language activity in the situation".[5]:20 Therefore, meaning that
which register is used depends on the situation and lays out the social context of the
situation, because if the wrong register is used, then the wrong context is placed on the
words. Furthermore, referring back to the diglossia expressed in the Arab-speaking
world and the Tamil caste system in India, which words are used must be appropriate to
not only the social class of the speaker, but the situation, the topic, and the need for
courtesy. A more comprehensive definition is stated, "Code-switching is not only a
definition of the situation but an expression of social hierarchy."[5]:137

For examples of the use of speech within certain situation refer back to the chart on
Classical and Colloquial Arabic.

For examples of dialect selection based on topic, refer below:

When Albania was created in 1912, the educational rights of the Greek communities in
Albanian territory were granted by the Protocol of Corfu (1914) and with the statement
of Albania's representatives in the League of Nations (1921). However, under a policy of
assimilation, the Greek schools (there were over 360 until 1913) were gradually forced
to close and Greek education was virtually eliminated by 1934. Following the
intervention by the League of Nations, a limited number of schools, only those inside the
"official minority zones", were reopened.[11][12] Ethnic Greeks living outside those
areas were not counted as such. This has had a practical effect in the area of education:
With the exception of the officially recognized Greek minority zones, where teaching
was held in both the Greek and Albanian languages, in all other areas of Albania
lessons were taught only in the Albanian language.[13]If a few Albanian families moved
into a town or village, the minority's right to be educated in Greek and publish in Greek
newspapers was revoked.[14]In accordance with the communist Albanian policy of
unification and homogenization, the use of the Greek language in Himarë was forbidden
in public, and many Greek-speaking people were forced to move to places in northern
or central Albania.[15]As a consequence, Greek schools in the Himarë area were
closed, and the local communities stuck to their language, which slowly became archaic
when they started to emigrate to Greece (1991) in the aftermath of the communist
regime's collapse.[16]

As Trudgill defines it, the Arvanikita is "the name given in Greece given to the language
of the indigenous Albanian-speaking linguistic minority in that country".[10]:10 This
community is different linguistically than the surrounding area and must use their
language accordingly. For example, nowadays, Arvanitika is only used at home and
other situations, such as in school during games, on the playground, or for "chatting up
girls", while only Greek is spoken in class.[17]:129

Therefore, it is both topical and situational in context.

Discrimination Edit
Human rights in Albania are violated by the Government which have targeted the
Greek-speaking population via police and secret service according to Human Rights
organisations.[18]According to Amnesty International there were cases of mistreatment
of members of the Greek-speaking minority by the authorities.[19]Also, the Greek-
speaking minority complained about the government’s unwillingness to recognize
Greek-speaking towns outside communist-era “minority zones,” to utilize Greek in
official documents and on public signs in Greek-speaking areas, or to include more
ethnic Greeks in public administration.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] Albanian
sources often use the pejorative term 'filogrek' (pro-Greek) in relation to Greeks-
speaking minority groups, usually in a context disputing their Greek ancestry.[29]The
2012 USA annual report mention that the emergence of strident nationalist groups like
the Red and Black Alliance (RBA) increased ethnic tensions with the Greek-speaking
minority groups.[24]

The Arvanitika community also suffers from discrimination because they are cast under
stereotypes by the use of their native language. As Garrett writes, "a number of
Arvanites had suffered from what they regarded as discrimination, particularly during
military service, and at school".[17]:130 Even though, the language is the only thing that
differentiates them from the surrounding Greeks, it still defines them as a distinct class
and places them within a social hierarchy.

Furthermore, within societies that maintain a diglossic state, the High ('H') and Low ('L')
forms serve as a basis for discrimination. As Mesthrie writes, "Since the H form is
learned via formal education, diglossia can be a means of excluding people from access
to full participation in society".[9]

Dialects and sociolects

Similar to pragmatics, sociolinguistics studies language use in real life. In particular, it
deals with the effects that social factors have on language use and language structures.
Thus, sociolinguistics can be defined as variationist linguistics, i.e. that branch of
linguistics which is concerned with the different forms of a language and the factors that
determine their structure and use. Variation is possible on all structural levels. The
indicvidual varieties of a given language may differ phonetically, phonologically,
pragmatically, with regard to the lexicon and their morphology and syntax - and still,
they convey the same semantic contents.
We can distinguish three main types of varieties, depending on the extralinguistic
factors that motivate their use: dialects, sociolects, and registers. The most widely
known of these three types is the dialect, which can be given a narrow and a broad
definition. Traditionally in linguistics, dialects are defined as regionally restricted
varieties. Under a broad conception, the expression is used in terms of a neutral
"variety", as in "standard dialect" or "social dialect". Social dialects, or sociolects, are
motivated by the socio-economic status, level of education, profession, age, ethnicity, or
sex of the speaker. Both, dialects (in a narrow sense) and sociolects, are intimately
linked to the speaker's sociological background. By contrast, register and style refer to
varieties which are primarily determined by the relevant communicative situation.
For more detailed information as well as exercises, check Sociolinguistics!

Dialect is a related term of sociolect. Sociolect is a see also of dialect.

As nouns the difference between sociolect and dialect is that sociolect is the variant of
language used by a social group such as a socioeconomic class, an ethnic group, an
age group, etc while dialect is {{context|linguistics|lang=en}} a variety of a language
(specifically, often a spoken variety) that is characteristic of a particular area, community
or group, often with relatively minor differences in vocabulary, style, spelling and
pronunciation

sociolect

English
(wikipedia sociolect)
Noun
(en noun)
The variant of language used by a social group such as a socioeconomic class, an
ethnic group, an age group, etc.
Related terms
* dialect * idiolect * ethnolect * ecolect
See also
* slang

dialect

English
(wikipedia dialect)
Noun
(en noun)
(linguistics) A variety of a language (specifically, often a spoken variety) that is
characteristic of a particular area, community or group, often with relatively minor
differences in vocabulary, style, spelling and pronunciation.
* A language is a dialect with an army and a navy.
*
And in addition, many dialects of English make no morphological distinction between
Adjectives and Adverbs, and thus use Adjectives in contexts where the standard
language requires -ly'' Adverbs: compare
(81) (a) Tex talks ''really quickly'' [Adverb + Adverb]
(b) %Tex talks ''real quick [Adjective + Adjective]
A dialect of a language perceived as substandard and wrong.
* 1967 , Roger W. Shuy, Discovering American dialects , National Council of Teachers of
English, page 1:
Many even deny it and say something like this: "No, we don't speak a dialect around
here. [...]
* 1975 , Linguistic perspectives on black English , H. Carl, page 219:
Well, those children don't speak dialect , not in this school. Maybe in the public schools,
but not here.
* 1994 , H. Nigel Thomas, Spirits in the dark , Heinemann, page 11:
[...] on the second day, Miss Anderson gave the school a lecture on why it was wrong to
speak dialect'. She had ended by saying "Respectable people don't speak ' dialect ."
A language.
A variant of a non-standardized programming language.
Home computers in the 1980s had many incompatible dialects of BASIC.
Usage notes
* The difference between a language and a dialect is not always clear, but it is generally
considered that people who speak different dialects can understand each other, while
people who speak different languages cannot. Compare species in the biological sense.
Derived terms
* dialectal * dialectic
Related terms
* dialectally * dialectical * dialectician * dialectics
See also
* dialogue * ethnolect * idiolect * sociolect
Anagrams
* ----

Depends how technical you’re being. Linguists tend to avoid the term “accent” when
discussing language variation and "sociolect" is too jargonic for common parlance, so
you will probably never need to contrast all three of those.
Accent only refers to pronunciation. Laymen distinguish accents from dialects based on
whether the distinctive features of a variety of language are mostly in the pronunciation
or if they go into grammar and lexis too. In reality, natural language variation is seldom
just about pronunciation, there are always some other distinctive features as well like a
handful of words that are more prevalent, or a grammatical construction that is more
common, so linguists tend not to use the term "accent" and use "dialect" to describe
varieties of language.

The next roadblock is that the layman definition of “dialect” isn’t that broad. Depending
on where you are in the world it can mean a whole bunch of socio-political things, in
opposition to a “language”. Some sociolinguists have tried to formalise the “language
vs. dialect” distinction, which I think is dangerous pseudoscience, but that’s not for this
answer. One thing most people will agree on is that the word dialect generally denotes a
regional variety of language.

So Peter Trudgill coined the term “sociolect” to denote dialects which are most clearly
linked to some kind of social group such as class, gender, subculture, or ethnicity rather
than geographic location. However there is usually more than one dimension to this –
thanks to the nature of British English where there are often multiple varieties spoken in
the same place, and more prestigious varieties have a higher degree of levelling, every
variety of British English can be both a regional dialect and a sociolect in different
measures.

When someone speaks a certain variety of language at a native level, they’re

automatically communicating certain things about themselves, mainly where they’re
from, but sociolects allow people to self-identify further things than just geographic
location. It can be a lot more specific than social class – jargonic slang-oriented
sociolects often pop up within a larger language system for very specific and often
nefarious purposes.

What is the difference between a dialect, sociolect and accent?

Still have a question? Ask your own!

What is your question?

Ad by English Ninjas
Practice English with native speakers starting from $5.5/hour.
English Ninjas are online 24/7 to help you improve your English speaking skills.
Learn More
3 ANSWERS
Zeibura S. Kathau
Zeibura S. Kathau, amateur linguist
Answered Jul 18, 2017 · Author has 1.8k answers and 1.8m answer views
Depends how technical you’re being. Linguists tend to avoid the term “accent” when
discussing language variation and "sociolect" is too jargonic for common parlance, so
you will probably never need to contrast all three of those.

Accent only refers to pronunciation. Laymen distinguish accents from dialects based on
whether the distinctive features of a variety of language are mostly in the pronunciation
or if they go into grammar and lexis too. In reality, natural language variation is seldom
just about pronunciation, there are always some other distinctive features as well like a
handful of words that are more prevalent, or a grammatical construction that is more
common, so linguists tend not to use the term "accent" and use "dialect" to describe
varieties of language.

The next roadblock is that the layman definition of “dialect” isn’t that broad. Depending
on where you are in the world it can mean a whole bunch of socio-political things, in
opposition to a “language”. Some sociolinguists have tried to formalise the “language
vs. dialect” distinction, which I think is dangerous pseudoscience, but that’s not for this
answer. One thing most people will agree on is that the word dialect generally denotes a
regional variety of language.

So Peter Trudgill coined the term “sociolect” to denote dialects which are most clearly
linked to some kind of social group such as class, gender, subculture, or ethnicity rather
than geographic location. However there is usually more than one dimension to this –
thanks to the nature of British English where there are often multiple varieties spoken in
the same place, and more prestigious varieties have a higher degree of levelling, every
variety of British English can be both a regional dialect and a sociolect in different
measures.

When someone speaks a certain variety of language at a native level, they’re

automatically communicating certain things about themselves, mainly where they’re
from, but sociolects allow people to self-identify further things than just geographic
location. It can be a lot more specific than social class – jargonic slang-oriented
sociolects often pop up within a larger language system for very specific and often
nefarious purposes.
1.7k Views · View 14 Upvoters · Answer requested by Josephine Stefani (陳圻)
Sponsored by Tipalti
Automate accounts payable and global payouts with AP automation.
Tipalti makes mass payouts to global suppliers, partners, affiliates, publishers, and
freelancers.
Learn More
RELATED QUESTIONS (MORE ANSWERS BELOW)
What are some examples of sociolects?
5,223 Views
What are the main sociolects of London?
1,139 Views
What is the difference between social dialect and regional dialect?
20,896 Views
What is the difference between a slang and an accent?
1,770 Views
What is the difference between accent and dialect?
67,212 Views
OTHER ANSWERS
Keith Tse
Keith Tse, M.A. Linguistics & Romance Languages, University of Manchester (2010)
Answered Jul 17, 2017 · Author has 214 answers and 92.4k answer views
They all denote different types of linguistic varieties. ‘Accent’ refers purely to varieties of
a phonological/phonetic nature. If the varieties in question display
morphosyntactic/grammatical variation, one cannot use ‘accents’ anymore but has to
classify them as separate varieties of which ‘dialect’ is a regional/geographical concept
(i.e. the variety of a particular community/place/region) and ‘sociolect’ refers to
sociopolitical strata (i.e. the variety of a particular sociopolitical class/group). One may
also add ‘idiolect’, which means the linguistic variety of a particular person, assuming
that no two people in the world speak/write exactly the same. The term ‘language’ is
often used as a general cover term to mean anything to do with language (i.e.
subsuming all types of linguistic varieties), but in strict sociolinguistic terms a ‘language’
differs from all the above in being the official variety of a particular country and enjoys
prestige status in a multilingual environment.

A dialect is a regional variation in a language in sound, vocabulary, or structure. For

example, a different dialect of English is spoken around Cincinnati in SW Ohio
compared to how it is spoken around Youngstown in NE Ohio.
A sociolect is the different way a person speaks in different cultures or cultural
situations. For example, I speak differently with my family than I do with students at the
university.
An accent is how someone’s speech sounds different compared to your own, which is
related to 1. but less technical and more cultural and perceptual.