Language Programs and Policies in Multilingual Societies

Sociolinguistic

* Definition of Sociolinguistic

* Field of Sociolinguistic

a. Varieties of Language

b. Language in context

c. Language maintenance and shift

d. Language Change

e. Language Planning

Definition of terms

1. Linguistic

-The scientific study of language meaning, form and context (Stowell 2000).

2. Sociolinguistic

-The study of language in relation to society (Hudson 1996).

-The main focus is society on language.

3. Sociology of language

-It’s main focus is “Language effects on society”.

Characteristic of Sociolinguistic

1. A branch of Linguistic.

2. A science concerned with the relation of language and society.

3. It considers that language is a social and cultural phenomenon.

4. It studies language in social context, in real life situations by empirical investigastion.

5. It is related to methodology and contents of social sciences.

Language Choice in Multilingual Communities

Variety Code

1. Linguistic Repertoire

-The variety of linguistic codes that a person has stored and uses them depending on the
different environment.

2. Domains

-It is were the interaction takes place (Social Context)

Domain Address Setting

 1. Family Parent Home
2. Friendship Friend Beach
3. Religion Priest Church
4. Education Teacher School
5. Employment Employer Workplace

Factors that modify code choice:

1. Social Distance
2. Status Relationship
3. Formality
4. Function

3. Diglossia

-Introduce by Charles Ferguson

-The language situation in which two varieties of the same language is used in different
situation.

Holmes in his book, An Introduction to Sociolinguistics (2008) stated that Diglossia has 3 crucial
features:

1. Two distinctive varieties of the same language

a. High/Standard – used for literacy and literary purposes and for formal, public and official uses.
(Spolsky 2008)

b. Low/Vernacular - used for informal conversation and daily use. (Spolsky 2008)

2. Unique function of the varieties

3. Not using H variety in everyday conversation.

Language Maintenance and Shift

* What happens when people with different mother tongues meet each other?

a. They simply maintained their mother tongue (Language maintenance)

b. They shift to the new language as their main language (Language Shift)

There are three main possible outcomes when speakers are exposed to a second language:

1. Speaker simply retain their own L1 and do not learn the L2

2. Speakers learn the L2 as an additional language and retain both heir L1 and L2.

3. Speakers learn the L2 as an additional language, but it replaces their L1 as the main language.

 Language Maintenance
 Refers to a situation when members of community attempt to keep the language they have
always used.

 Language Shift
Denotes the replacement of one language by another as the primary means of communication
and socialization within the community.

Factors affecting language shift (Holmes 1992)

a. Demographic Factor
b. Attitude/values
c. Economic
d. Social and Political
A. Demographic Factor
-There is a community of language moving to a region whose a language is different from
another language, thus presence of tendency to shift towards a new language.
B. Attitude/Values
-according to Holmes 1992 “Young people are the fastest to shift language”
C. Economic Factor
-Main factor in language shifting.
-“Job seekers see the importance of learning a new language which is widely used in business.
(Holmes 1992)
D. Social and Political factor

Language Death

- Used when the community is the last one(in the world) to use that language.
- A language dies when nobody speaks it any more(Crystal 2003)
- When all the people who speak a language die, the language die with them(Holmes 1992).