Matakuliah
Tahun
: G0362/Sociolingustics
: 2007
What is Sociolinguistics?
Pertemuan 1
Learning Outcomes
Pada akhir pertemuan ini, diharapkan mahasiswa
akan mampu :
• Menjelaskan apa yang dipelajari dalam Sosiolinguistik
• Menjelaskan faktor sosial yang mempengaruhi
penggunaan bahasa
3
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Outline Materi
•
•
•
•
Definisi Sosiolinguistik
Faktor Sosial dalam penggunaan bahasa
Dimensi Sosial
Penjelasan atas beberapa fenomena bahasa
4
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What is covered in this course?
• What is sociolinguistics?
• What do sociolinguists study?
• Why does someone use one language instead of
another?
• What are varieties?
• Can a language become extinct?
• What can we do to keep a language alive?
• Do men and women talk differently?
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What is sociolinguistics?
• Sociolinguistics is a field
of study that observes the
use of language in the
society.
• In Sociolinguistics, the
object of study is the
speakers, how they use
the language, and what
factors influence them to
do so.
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• In pure linguistics, the
object of the study is the
language alone,
independent of the
speakers and other social
factors.
• Pure linguistics is about
learning the grammar and
how the language works.
Short Definition
• In short, we can say that Sociolinguists study Who
speaks to whom, where, what about, and for what
purpose
– Who, whom  the participants
– Where the setting
– What about the topic
– What purpose the function
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Social Factors
What language people choose to speak in an exchange is
determined by social factors:
 The Participants: e.g. age, ranks, relationships;
 The Setting: e.g. at home, in a formal meeting, etc.
 The Topic: e.g. my tennis skills, cooking, exams;
 The Function: e.g. getting a loan, hiring a maid,
asking permission to leave the room, etc.
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The Participants
• The person you speak to and the kind of relationship
you have with the person determines your choice of
– Terms of Address: Mr., Madam, Sir, Your Honor/
Majesty, Pak, Mbak, Mas, or just Memet
– Language: formal/informal
– Tone of voice or intonation
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The Participants
Discussion Task:
How would you ask for some money to
a. A bank teller?
b. Your mother or father?
c. Your brother (younger/older)?
d. A good friend?
e. A total stranger?
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The Setting
• What we mean by settings are the contexts in which the
language exchanges occur:
–
–
–
–
At school, university
At home
At a law court
In an inauguration ceremony, etc.
• The settings would dictate the use of language: formal or
informal.
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Topics
• The topic of a language exchange can be
– A subject matter at a school (Maths, English)
– A new computer game
– Fashion
– Mother’s cooking
– Father’s new car, etc.
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Function
• The function of a conversation is the reason why two
people are speaking to each other at a given moment.
e.g. to ask permission, to scold a naughty child, to carry
out a wedding ceremony, etc.
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Social Dimensions
Within the social factors above, there are social dimensions:
1. Social Distance (solidarity) scale
2. Status scale
3. Formality scale
4. Functional scales: referential and affective
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• Solidarity scale:
intimate ______________________ distant
High solidarity
Low solidarity
(language is
(language is
less formal)
formal)
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• Status Scale
Superior
Subordinate
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High status
Low status
Functional Scale
Referential
Low ________________________________high
Low ________________________________ high
Affective
 The news on TV would be high in
referential content but low in affective scale.
 A gossip will be highly affective but lowly
referential.
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Conclusions
• Sociolinguistics is a field of study that research on how
language is used in the community.
• The way a person speak to another depends on some
social factors (the participants, setting, topic, and
function) and social dimensions (solidarity scale, status
scale, formality scale, and functional scales).
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