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Linguistics & Grammar vocabulary · Sociolinguistics

Sociolinguistics

Meaning in linguistics & grammar, with examples

/ˌsəʊsiəʊlɪŋˈɡwɪstɪks/nounCore term

In linguistics & grammar, sociolinguistics means: The study of how language varies and changes with society: how age, region, social class, gender and situation shape the way people speak.

In Turkish: toplumdilbilim, sosyolinguistik

How it is used

Topics include dialects, accents, register, bilingualism, code-switching and attitudes to language. Researchers often record real speech in interviews or everyday settings. The adjective is sociolinguistic.

Example sentences

  1. Her sociolinguistics project compares how teenagers and their grandparents speak in Izmir.

  2. Sociolinguistics shows that no dialect is lazy or broken; each one has its own rules.

Common collocations

  • sociolinguistic variation
  • sociolinguistic research
  • variationist sociolinguistics
  • sociolinguistic interview
  • dialectA variety of a language used by speakers in a particular region or social group, with its own vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
  • accentA way of pronouncing a language that shows where a speaker comes from, such as their region, social group or first language, as in a Scottish or a Turkish accent.
  • registerA variety of language used for a particular situation or purpose, from formal to informal, such as academic writing, legal language or chatting with friends.
  • code-switchingMoving between two or more languages or varieties within one conversation or even within one sentence, a normal practice among bilingual speakers.
  • bilingualismThe ability to use two languages, or the regular use of two languages by a person or a community; using more than two is called multilingualism.

More terms: Sociolinguistics

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