LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY
Sociolinguistics is a branch of linguistics which studies the relationship between language and society. It is closely connected with other areas of research such as anthropology, sociology, ethnology and social psychology. One of the main purposes of sociolinguistics is to investigate the phenomena of language variation and language varieties. Our way of talking (which is seldom the standard variety, the variety spoken in the south-east of England, also called Received Pronunciation and codified by the IPA) can provide useful information about our dialect and accent. Dialects are regional varieties different from the standard code with respect to morphology, lexis, syntax and phonology. Accents are regional or social varieties only differing with respect to phonology (e.g. American, British and Australian accent). Even if two people have grown up in the same geographical area, they can talk in a very different manner, because of a series of social factors. In his work Introducing Applied Linguistics Corder explains that:
In his native tongue an individual possesses a repertoire or bundle of grammars, standard, non-standard, written, spoken, formal, informal, etc., from which he selects the forms appropriate to the situation in which he finds himself. The repertoire available to native speakers differs enormously in size and scope, according to social class, interests, adherence to various social groups, level of education and profession. The freedom of social action which a speaker has, depends on the varieties of language available in his repertoire: if he lacks mastery of a particular code or style, his freedom to act in certain directions will be seriously restricted. (S. P. Corder, Introducing Applied Linguistics, Penguin Books Ltd., 1973, p. 80).
Here is a list of the main factors which determine language variation:
Sociolinguistics also deals with other remarkable topics such as: language and social change, the concept of "politically correct" (the use of language which does not discriminate against minorities or any category on the basis of race, religion or sex), language and sexism, (a movement which aims at
avoiding all those expressions and words that "denigrate" women, or "make them invisible"), the
communication between men and women and their different
genderlects. In his famous book, Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, the psychologist
John Gray claims that men and women often fail to communicate because:
Men mistakenly expect women to think, communicate and and react the way men do; women mistakenly expect men to feel, communicate, and respond the way women do. We have forgotten that men and women are supposed to be different. As a result our relationships are filled with unnecessary friction and conflict.
Clearly recognizing and respecting these differences dramatically reduces confusion when dealing with the opposite sex. When you remember that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, everything can be explained.
The sociolinguist Deborah Tannen proposes a similar solution in her well-known work You just don't understand:
Once people realize that their partners have different conversational styles, they are inclined to accept differences without blaming themselves, their partners or their relationships. The biggest mistake is believing there is one right way to listen, to talk, to have a conversation - or a relationship. [...] If you understand gender differences in what I call conversational style, you may not be able to prevent disagreements from arising, but you stand a better chance of preventing them from spiraling out of control. [...] Understanding the other's way of talking is a giant leap across the communication gap between women and men, and a giant step toward opening lines of communication.
There are different types of language variation:
Diatopic variation (depends on the place): English spoken as a native language in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and U.S.A; ESL (English as a Second Language) spoken in the ex British colonies of Africa, Middle East, South East Asia and within communities of immigrants living in English speaking countries; EFL (English as a Foreign Language), spoken as a lingua franca in intercultural and international communication.
Diastratic variation (depends on the social status of speakers): English spoken by London working-classes (Cockney); New York Jews, East Coast Wasps, OxBridge intelligentsia and so on.
PIDGIN and CREOLE varieties.
Pidgin is a simplified version of non-native language developed in colonial contexts by indigenous populations for trade reasons or in order to establish official bureaucratic contacts. Creole is a developed pidgin which has acquired a more complex grammar. As such, it can have native speakers.
USEFUL LINKS
http://logos.uoregon.edu/explore/socioling/
http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/lang/langsoc.htm
An interesting and illuminating article on the relationship between language and society: http://www.globaled.org/issues/178F.pdf
If you want to investigate the relation language and gender any further, you can find a useful bibliography at: http://www.uni-saarland.de/fak4/norrick/powerbib.htm
If you are in a hurry but you need some inputs about the relation among language, culture and gender you can dowload these useful documents in powerpoint format: