in
Ted Jer
Language and
the Self
9093
A Classroom presentation
l
A Leve
Psycholinguistics
It is the branch of linguistics and
psychology
that studies how language is pro
cessed and
produced in the human mind. It foc
uses on
the mental processes involved in
language
acquisition and speech productio
n.
.
sky
Noam Chom
Fun fact - Noam Chomsky was
friend of Epstein
a close
Sociolinguistics
racts
It is the study of how language inte
tors
fac
with society. It explores how social
ge.
influence the way people use langua
a chemical
FYI - Labov actually worked as
periment,
engineer before his famous ex
L
Mor William
abov
Michel Foucault
The Self
Identity is shaped by social
discourse and power.
William Labov
flects
The way we speak re
our social identity.
John Locke
The self is
based on m
emory.
David Hume
The self is just a bundle of
perceptions and
experiences.
The self and language
01.
Face Theory
The face is the public image of a person. Positive face is the
desire to be liked and approved, The negative face is the desire
for freedom and independence.
02.
The Politeness Principle
Georey Leech introduced six maxims: tact, generosity,
approbation, modesty, agreement and power,
03.
Discursive Politeness
Argues that politeness is not fixed or universal. What counts as
polite depends on context, culture, and participants.
Theory of Language
Codes
Burnstein proposed the theory of codes
to explain the influence of language in
educational achievements, He proposed
two broad codes:
Restricted code used by working class,
context-dependent, implicit and simple
sentences
Elaborated code middle/upper class,
context-independent, explicit and
precise vocabulary. Fits well in formal
education.
Language differenc
es reflect social in
equality and
affect educational
outcomes
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf
proposed two theories.
Linguistic Determinism: Argues that language
determines thought. Without the words for
something you cannot think of it.
Linguistic Relativism: Language influences
thought. Dierent languages encourage
dierent ways of thinking,
“
sm
rsali
e
Univ
theory and
The main proponent of this
ndent of
argues that thought is indepe
language
The New York City Department Store Study
In 1966, Labov conducted one of the most famous studies
in sociolinguistics to show that social class aects
pronunciation
The aim is to find out whether pronunciation of the /r/
sound (as in “fourth floor”) was related to social class in
New York City.
Employees in Saks (upper class) pronounced the /r/ most
clearly.Employees in S. Klein (lower class) pronounced it
least.Employees in Macy’s (middle class) increased their
/r/ pronunciation when asked to repeat — showing
linguistic insecurity.
Before Labov, linguistic variation was believed to be
random, Labov proved linguistic variation was intentional.
“
“One of the most striking
is its orderly
characteristics of language
heterogeneity.”
Mor William Labov
Norwich Study – UK Dialect Variation
In 1974, Peter Trudgill conducted a landmark
sociolinguistic study in Norwich to explore how social
class aects pronunciation and language variation in
everyday speech
Working-class speakers used more non-standard forms
(e.g., walkin’).
Middle-class speakers used fewer non-standard forms
but would use them in informal speech.
Upper-class speakers used mostly standard forms.
Key Ideas
1.
listener
formality, seing, and
Overt and covert prestige were observed:
●
Overt prestige: standard speech is admired
publicly
●
Covert prestige: non-standard speech signals
solidarity within a community
s depending on
Speech style change
expectations.
2.
cts both
fle
Language variation re
oup identity.
social hierarchy and gr
THANK
YOU!
Language shapes how we think, reflects who we are,
and connects us to the society we live in.