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Sociology of language

Sociology of language is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sociology of language rather than just read about it. In short: Sociology of language is the study of the relations between language and society, particularly the influence of language on society. One of the longest and most prolific practitioners of the sociology of language (also known as macrosociolinguistics) was Joshua Fishman, the founding editor of the International Journal of the Sociology of Language, in addition to other major contributions.

Sociology of language — main illustration
Sociology of language — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Sociology of language belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Sociology of language to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Sociology of language from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Sociology of language is the study of the relations between language and society, particularly the influence of language on society. One of the longest and most prolific practitioners of the sociology of language (also known as macrosociolinguistics) was Joshua Fishman, the founding editor of the International Journal of the Sociology of Language, in addition to other major contributions. As Trent University professor of global politics Andreas Pickel states, "religion and other symbolic systems strongly shaping social practices and shaping political orientations are examples of the social significance such languages can have." The basic idea is that language reflects, among several other things, attitudes that speakers want to exchange or that just get reflected through language use. These attitudes of the speakers are the sociologist's information. Sociology of language seeks to understand the way that social dynamics are affected by individual and group language use. According to National Taiwan University of Science and Technology Chair of Language Center Su-Chiao Chen, language is considered to be a social value within this field, which researches social groups for phenomena like multilingualism and lingual conflict. It has to do with who is 'authorized' to use what language, with whom and under what conditions. It has to do with how an individual or group identity is established by the language that they have available for them to use. It seeks to understand individual expression, which the investment in the linguistic tools that one has access to in order to bring oneself to other people.

Relationship with sociolinguistics The sociology of language is closely related to but distinct from the field of sociolinguistics, which focuses on the influence of society on language. For the former, society is the object of study; whereas, for the latter, language is the object of study. In other words, sociolinguistics is a branch of linguistics, examining how particular languages and their dialects vary as a result of the user's sociological background, such as gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic class.

See also

References

Further reading International Journal of the Sociology of Language. Mouton de Gruyter. Editor: Ofelia Garcia Otheguy. ISSN (Print) 0165-2516. Fishman, Joshua A. (1968-01-01). Readings in the Sociology of Language. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110805376. Guardado, Martin (2018). Discourse, Ideology and Heritage Language Socialization: Micro and Macro Perspectives. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-1-61451-384-1.

Illustrations

Sociology of language: The EU has 24 languages it translates and operates within. The image shows MEPs adopting their position on the 2020 EU budget through translator communication.
The EU has 24 languages it translates and operates within. The image shows MEPs adopting their position on the 2020 EU budget through translator communication.
Sociology of language illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sociology of language

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sociology of language claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sociology of language before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sociology of language ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sociology of language

In research
Sociology of language appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Sociology of language in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Sociology of language is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Philosophy of language, Sociology of language, Syntax, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Sociology of language outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Sociology of language in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Sociology of language means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Sociology of language out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sociology of language in simple terms?

Sociology of language is the study of the relations between language and society, particularly the influence of language on society. One of the longest and most prolific practitioners of the sociology of language (also known as macrosociolinguistics) was Joshua Fishman, the founding editor of the I…

Why does Sociology of language matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sociology of language?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sociology of language.

Tags

  • Philosophy of language
  • Sociology of language
  • Syntax

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