13 Ling 204

The branch of sociology concerned with language. Unlike Sociolinguistic this approach studies the social contexts of Lange without recourse to analysis of linguistic structure

The study of how languages survive, or the continuing use of a (minority) language in the face of a more regionally, socially or politically dominant language

Sometimes used synonymously with language planning, language policy refers to the goals underlying the language planning process

Conscious efforts by government, society organizations, etc. to affect the role and status of languages

Rooted in the social psychology of language, this term refers to how widely a language or variety associated with a particular culture or ethnicity is spoken

The gradual replacement of one language by another as the primary language of communication and socialization within a speech community

A complete language shift in which the original language is no longer used by anyone anywhere

The social or institutional context of language use

WHen differences between age groups repeat as each generation ages, that is when all speakers in a particular community favor a particular variant at one age and then a different variant at another. People sometimes change their (reported) behavior over the years as their life situation changes

A theory about language and thought that argues that the way a particular language describes the world actually affects its speakers' view of reality

A type of language planning concerned with choosing between available languages or language varieties and promoting one over another, often including the declaration of an official language

A language declared the language of a particular region or country as a result of legislation

A the of language planning concerned with choosing between available variants within a language in order to build up that language to the point it can be used for all the requirements of a modern society. AKA language development

Creating new words

• 1. Institutional support: Is your language used in education/government/churches/media?
• 2. Power and prestige: Of your language, of other language groups. How much formal power do speakers have? What's the language of important stuff and "cool" stuff?
• 3. Demography: Size of group, dispersion of speakers, marrying out, new speakers arriving?
• 4. Community choices: How important is it to the community, how necessary is it to the community, how much do people want to fit in?

• Socially, old language is used in fewer and fewer domains. Often old language is used for intimacy and new language is used for status
• Shifted happens between generations/language is not transmitted to younger generations
• Individual speakers and families decide which language to use

• 1. Education, mass media, Nationwide
• 2. Mas media and government, Local/Regional
• 3. Work, Local/Regional
• 4. Transmitted through education, literacy
• 5. Oral and written, all generations
• 6. Oral, all generations; first language of children
• 7. Parents use with grandparents but not with children
• 8. Only grandparent's generation

• Can be affected by local events and contexts
• People who speak a language with a low perceived EV are more likely to shift

Some languages have more economic political and demographic clout

• Could be linguistic imperialism
• Perceived value of English is high
• The language of some rich powerful countries

• "Human intervention into natural processes of language change, diffusion and erosion" -Wardhaugh
• Or the choice to not intervene

• Governments: Choose official languages status of minority
• Non government groups: Chamber of commerce, corporations
• Churches: Language of religious observations
• Dictionary makers: decide what to include, acknowledge
• Pundits: Columnists, bloggers
• Writers: Choose which language/variety to write in
• Educators: Often expected to enforce language policies
• Publishing industry: Spelling standards
• Independent social or political groups
• Individuals: make language choices

• Many languages, few countries.
• Most countries decide to make official choices

• Linguistic assimilation: Encourages everyone to learn the dominant language
• Linguistic pluralism: Recognize more than one language
• Vernacularization: Promote an indigenous language to official status
• Internationalization: promote a non-indigenous langage

• Status planning aka language determination: Choosing between available language varieties, the group of the chosen one will often get more political or economic power
• Corpus planning aka language development: Building up a language so it can be used in all domains, for all purposes of a modern society

Some success stories, which are often associated with nation building