LOYOLA COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), CHENNAI – 600 034
M.A. DEGREE EXAMINATION – ENGLISH LITERATURE
FOURTH SEMESTER – April 2009
NM 48
EL 4953 - SOCIOLINGUISTICS & DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
Date & Time: 25/04/2009 / 9:00 - 12:00
Dept. No.
Max. : 100 Marks
PART-A
I. Write notes on ANY FOUR of the following in not more than 75 words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
(4x5=20 marks)
Define language from the perspective of sociology.
Explain culture from the perspective of sociolinguistics.
What are speech communities?
How does religion influence one’s language?
Explain the terms ‘idiolect’ and ‘sociolect’.
II Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 400 words each
(2x15=30 marks)
1. Explain speech as a social interaction.
2. Examine the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in the context of language and thought.
3. How does the ethnography of communication help to determine the result of
communication in any discourse? Illustrate with examples.
PART- B
I. Write short notes on ANY FOUR of the following
(4x5= 20 marks)
1. Registers.
2. Dialects and accents.
3. Accuracy vs. fluency.
4. The importance of Sociolinguistics today.
5. Creolization.
II. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 400 words each (2x 15 = 30 marks)
1. How do the concepts of lexical patterning and lexical choice operate in the
usage of language among its users?
2. What factors determine the differences in English language among its users as
regards the choice of lexis, grammar and accent?
3. Explain the concept of language and inequality in terms of subjective, strictly
linguistic and communicative aspects.
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