Language in Society

Language & Society

What is language? Language is a...

• Social Tool
• Marker of Identity
• Expression of ideologies
• Reminder of community
• Tied to our lives and culture

Dialect Myths

Misconceptions of Dialect

• Less developed
• Cannot accomplish a full range of purposes
• Doe not have a full linguistic system
• The same as an accent
• Similar to slang

"Languages and dialects are the same thing. They contain the same layers, have the same level of linguistic complexity, can accomplish multiple purposes, and are governed by rules. The difference between a language and dialect is not a linguistic difference, it's a social difference (Park-Johnson & Shin, 2020).

Geography

Geographical location & language formation

• Lexical variation
• Pronunciation variation
• Syntatic patterns
• Social clas
• Gender
• Age

Language and Identity

Language and one's identity

• Language is linked to a persons identity
• Hypercorrection
• Speech Communities
• Code switching

Language & discrimination

"Making fun of how someone pronounces a word is not simply a comment on the vowel they choose: it is a comment on their background or where they come from" (Park-Johnson & Shin, 2020).

Language & Discrimination

• Differenc between wrong & different in language
• Uspeak
• Vocal Fry
• R-lessness
• Double negatives

Sociolinguistics

Teachers supporting emergent bilinguals

• Consider different registers, dialects, and languages we speak personally
• Use video & audio of target language from around the worl
• Consider heritage language learners
• Supporting home language supports students' identities
• Set up billingual classrooms to compare and evaluate linguistic variation
• Have students conduct a study of native English language speakers and note variation

Implications for Teachers

Questions to ask ourselves

• Do I know where my emergent bilingual students are from?
• Can I correctly pronounce my emergent bilingual students names?
• Am I aware if my emergent bilingual students' parents speak English at home?
• What are some of my own personal misconceptions about my emergent bilingual students when it comes to language?
• How to I approach making corrections when my emergent bilingual students are speaking in class? How could I change my approach?

References

• Park-Johnson, S.K., & Shin, S.J. (2020) Linguistics for Language Teachers: Lessons for Classroom Practice. New York, NY: Rotledge.
• The Ling Space (Producer). (2014). Sociolinguistics and Dialects [Video] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEabSWeO02E