Chapter 8 Sociolinguistics
I.
Decide whether each of the following statements is True or False:
1.
Sociolinguistics is the sub-discipline of linguistics that studies social contexts.
2.
Language
as
a
means
of
social
communication
is
a
homogeneous
system
with
a
homogeneous group of speakers.
3.
Language
use
varies
from
one
speech
community
to
another,
from
one
regional
group
to
another, from one social group to another, and even from one individual to another.
4.
The goal of sociolinguistics is to explore the nature of language variation and language use
among a variety of speech communities and in different social situations.
5.
The linguistic markers that characterize individual social groups may serve as social markers
of group membership.
6.
From the sociolinguistic perspective, the term
鈥?/p>
speech variety
鈥?/p>
can not be used to refer
to standard language, vernacular language, dialect or pidgin.
7.
Functional speech varieties are known as regional dialects.
8.
The most distinguishable linguistic feature of a regional dialect is its grammar and uses of
vocabulary.
9.
Geographical barriers are the only source of regional variation of language.
10.
A person
鈥?/p>
s social backgrounds do not exert a shaping influence on his choice of linguistic
features.
11.
Two speakers of the same language or dialect use their language or dialect in the same way.
12.
Every speaker of a language is, in a stricter sense, a speaker of a distinct idiolect.
13.
The standard language is a better language than nonstandard languages.
14.
A
lingua
franca
can
only
be
used
within
a
particular
country
for
communication
among
groups of people with different linguistic backgrounds.
15.
Pidgins are linguistically inferior to standard languages.
16.
A pidgin usually reflects the influence of the higher, or dominant, language in its lexicon and
that of the lower language in their phonology and occasionally syntax.
17.
The major difference between a pidgin and a creole is that the former usually has its native
speakers while the latter doesn
鈥?/p>
t.
18.
Bilingualism and diglossia mean the same thing.
19.
The kind of name or term speakers use to call or refer to someone may indicate something
of their social relationship to or personal feelings about that individual.
20.
The
use
of
euphemisms
has
the
effect
of
removing
derogatory
overtones
and
the
disassociative effect as such is usually long-lasting.
II.
Fill in each of the blanks below with one word which begins with the letter given:
21.
The social group isolated for any given study is called the speech c________.
22.
Speech v_________ refers to any distinguishable form of speech used by a speaker or group
of speakers.
23.
From
the
sociolinguistic
perspective,
a
speech
variety
is
no
more
than
a
d__________
variety of a language.
24.
Language standardization is also called language p_______.
25.
Social
variation
gives
rise
to
s_________
which
are
subdivisible
into
smaller
speech
categories that reflect their socioeconomic, educational, occupational background, etc.