Linguistic Variation: Speech
Communities
The totality of messages we exchange
with one another while speaking a
given language constitutes a speech
community…(Rossi-Landi 1973: 83)
Overview
• Language variety
• Speech community
• Social stratification: Class and Caste
• Limitations of Labov’s concept of speech
community
Two working definitions
• Language variety: refers to a set of
communicative forms and norms for their
use that are restricted to a particular group,
community or activities
• Speech community: a group of people who
share something about the way in which
they use language
Speech and Social Stratification
• Access to economic power and language
• Marker of individual and social identities
• Absolute: Caste system
• Flexible: Class system
Caste and Language Use
• Determines: residence, occupation,
marriage choice and language
• Khalapur, India
• Castes: Brahmins, Ragouts and
untouchables
Class and Language
• Economic and social relations
• Language reinforcer of class differences
• Labov’s New York Study (1966):
postvocalic r
• Lindenfeld (1969) France: syntactic
complexity
We learn that:
1.
there is a link between structures
of economic, social and political
power and the use of language
2.That variation of the use of
language is linked to other social
systems of organization
Limitations of present def of
Speech Community
• participation in a set of shared
norms for the use of language
and for interpretation of
linguistic behaviour
Critique of Labov’s
conceptualization of Speech
Community
• Nancy Dorian (1981)
• Sutherland (Scotland)
• Semi-speakers
• Lack of ling norm does not exclude people
“A speech community is made up
of people who regard themselves
as speaking the same language; it
need have no other defining
attribute” (Corder, 1973: 53).
The case of Vaupes (Colombia)
• Language criteria for exogamy
• Multilingualism in the community
• Lingua Franca also utilized: Tukano
• They do not share norm of a single
language
Summary
• connection between social stratification and
language use
• Anthrop critique the notion of speech
community that is bounded by norms
• More open conceptualization of speech
community: emphasis on social
communicative interaction
Discussion Questions (Video)
• Do you think Hip Hop music can be
considered a marker of personal or/and
group identity? How? Why?
• Are power relations evident in the story?
How is power related to language in this
case?