How Language Changes Due To Social

Factors In Society
A study conducted by American linguist, William Labov,
which examines variation in language in New York City.
Ava Robinson
Mar 08, 2016
The Black Writers League
52297 

    

Playbuzz

Sociolinguistics is the study of the relationship between language and society. It

examines the impact of language in society and society on language. Linguists
investigate how language is acquired and processed in the brain, and they also
investigate how language is structured and used in society. There are many
specific topics linguists focus on pertaining to sociolinguistics, because it
requires further attention and they wish to conduct research on it. Linguists, such
as William Labov, conduct research to determine how certain factors in society
may affect language, and how speakers of a language or languages impose
those factors in society.

William Labov is an American linguist who was concerned about the study of
sociolinguistic variation. He contributed to variation research when he decided to
investigate the English language of New York City. He held interviews with native
speakers of English in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and he used the data
from his research to examine sociolinguistic variables.

One of those sociolinguistic variables included the alternation between velar [η]
and alveolar [n] in the suffix "-ing." The velar [η] was the standard pronunciation
and alveolar [n] was the non-standard pronunciation. Labov used styles of
speech to illustrate the use of both pronunciations between social classes. His
analysis of this variation targets other factors that influence language variation.

Class, ethnicity, and gender are three social factors that play a role in language
variation. Class is the structure of relationships between groups where people
are classified based on their education, occupation, and income. Ethnicity refers
to a group of people that share cultural characteristics and gender deals with the
traits associated with men and women. This division among groups in each
factor contributes to the differences of their use of the English language. The
data collected by the researchers, which were displayed in graphs, tables, and
charts, shows how each researcher has a different approach constructing their
project, but continues to focus on the same subjects about the variation in
language.

Labov’s study addresses and depicts how class, ethnicity, and gender influences
language variation. One example of how class affects language variation is
evident in the New York City study by Labov. He displays the social classes in
four classes: the lower working class, the upper working class, the lower middle
class, and the upper middle class. He also displays the styles of speech in three
styles, which are casual, careful conversation, and reading. According to the data,
the upper middle class speakers almost always use the standard ing variant and
the lower working class speakers almost always use the non-standard in variant.
Each class prefers the use of one pronunciation over the other regardless, of the
style of speech. However, the lower working class shifted from using in in casual
speech to using ing in the reading style.

Ethnic groups affect language variation, because they usually have to learn the
language that is prominent in an area. Although they view language as a part of
their identity, they have to compromise their languages and substitute it with
another, or combine both languages. Ethnic groups learn the dominant language
in an area when the majority of the people speak that language. Their variety of
the dominant language is called the "substrate," because it shows the differences
between it and their language. Immigrants that arrive in a new location quickly
learn the dominant language. Their language is called the "adstrate," and it
affects the way they speak the dominant language. The adstrate and substrate
could create a variety of the dominant language, and would differ from the
normal version of the language.

Gender affects language variation by influencing the language choice between

men and women. A man and a woman’s speech differ from one another in
matters of degree. Men’s language can be direct, non-standard, and aggressive.
Women’s language can be less harsh, emotional, and standard. Many languages
have alternative forms that are used only by men or by women. In some cases,
the men and women speak different dialects, or they don't speak the same
language to each other. But I don't agree with this, because it hinders the
communication process between men and women. It also makes it difficult for
each gender to fully understand the opposite sex.

Variation in language is an important topic in sociolinguistics, because it refers

to social factors in society and how each factor plays a role in language varieties.
Languages vary between ethnic groups, social situations, and specific locations.
From Labov’s study, people can determine that variation is a characteristic of
language that can be influenced by class, ethnicity, and gender. People notice
these variations by interacting with people from different ethnic backgrounds
and people with different social standings. According to his research, Labov
realized that there are many ways of speaking, and each way of speaking is
influenced by social factors in a society.