Slide 1

SOCIOLINGUISTICS
LESSON 7
INSTRUCTOR: LE NGUYEN NHU ANH

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Slide 2

LANGUAGE VARIATION:
FOCUS ON USES
SPEECH FUNCTION, POLITENESS AND
CROSS- CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

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Slide 3

OUTLINE
• The function of speech
• Directives
• Politeness and address forms
• Linguistic politeness in different cultures
• Greetings

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Slide 4

social function: establishrapport

The functions of speech
Example 1
Boss: Good morning Sue. Lovely day.
Secretary: Yes it’s beautiful. Makes you wonder
what we’re doing here doesn’t it.
Boss: Mm, that’s right. Look I wonder if you
could possibly sort this lot out by ten. I
need them for a meeting.
Secretary: Yes sure. No problem.
Boss: Thanks that’s great.
referential function:Provide information

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Slide 5

The functions of speech

1. Expressive utterances express the
speaker’s feelings The speaker
• Mr Stark, I don’t feel so good…

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Slide 6

The functions of speech

2. Directive utterances attempt to get
someone to do something
• Clear the table! The addressee

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Slide 7

The functions of speech

3. Referential utterances provide
information, The message
• At the third stroke it will be three o’clock
precisely.

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Slide 8

The functions of speech

4.Metalinguistic utterances comment on
language itself
• ‘Hegemony’ is not a common word.

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Slide 9

The functions of speech

5.Poetic utterances focus on aesthetic
features of language
• a poem, an ear- catching motto, a rhyme,
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled
peppers.

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Slide 10

The functions of speech

6.Phatic utterances express solidarity and
empathy with others
• Hi, how are you, lovely day isn’t it!

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Slide 11

The functions of speech

There are also other functions:
Heuristic function: concerned with learning
(‘tell me why’)
• What happened?

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Slide 12

The functions of speech

Commissive function: promises, & threats
• I will grant you three wishes

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Slide 13

The functions of speech

Performative function:
declarations, marriage
vow, bets, .
• I do solemnly declare
that I know not of any
lawful impediment why I
____ may not be joined in
matrimony to ____.

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Slide 14

The functions of speech

Directives
Example 3
Teacher: What are you doing over by the
window Helen?
Helen: Looking at the birds Miss.
Teacher: And what should you be doing?
Helen: (No answer)
Teacher: Go and sit down now and get on with
your writing.

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Slide 15

The functions of speech

Directives
Directives are concerned with getting people to
do things.
Sit down. IMPERATIVE
You sit down. You IMPERATIVE
Could you sit down? INTERROGATIVE WITH MODAL VERB
Sit down will you? INTERROGATIVE WITH TAG
Won’t you sit down? INTERROGATIVE WITH NEGATIVE MODAL
I want you to sit down. DECLARATIVE
I’d like you to sit down. DECLARATIVE
You’d be more comfortable sitting down. DECLARATIVE

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Slide 16

The functions of speech

Directives
Beside form, intonation, tone of voice and
context also determine the politeness of
directives
E.g.
A gentle “Sit down” vs a thundered “Will you all
sit down”

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Slide 17

Which would you choose?

Move your foot please! OR
I’m sorry to bother you and I hope I’m not too much
trouble but could you move your foot a little either
way because somehow mine seems to have got
caught under yours.

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Slide 18

The functions of speech

Directives
How do people decide which form to use
in a particular context?
What are the social factors which affect
a speaker’s choice of the appropriate
form of directive?
There are several factors

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Slide 19

Social distance between participants

Example 5
(a) Roll over.
(b) Shut up you fool.
(c) Set the table, Finn.
(d) Clap hands Nico.
(e) Wash your hands for dinner, children.
(f) Turn that blessed radio down.
(g) Bugger off idiot.

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Slide 20

Status
Example 6 Teacher to students
(a) Turn to page 394.
(b) Shut the door.
(c) Stop talking please.
Example 7 Minimally explicit forms
(a) Blackboard! (‘Clean the blackboard’)
(b)Bus people! (‘Those who get the school bus
should now leave’)
(c) I hear talking. (‘Stop talking’)

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Slide 21

Formality of the context

Example 9 Subordinate clause
I now call on the Vice- Chancellor to read the
citation for our distinguished guest.
Example 10
Medical professional of lower status to person
of higher status. Modal interrogative
(a) Could you ring his mother and find out?
(b) A: We’ve got a referral from Dr T. He’s your
neighbour Jody. hint
B: OK I’ll take him.

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Slide 22

Routineness or reasonableness of the task

Example 11
(a)Get those brake pads in by 5
o’clock Sue. That car’s needed
first thing in the morning.
(b)Could you stay a bit later
tonight, do you think, and finish
this job? Modal interrogative
(c) That job’s taking longer than
we predicted. I don’t know what
we’ll do if it isn’t ready for
tomorrow. hint

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Slide 23

Hint for humorous effect

Example 12
(a) To someone blocking the
light out .
You make a better door
than a window.
(b) Mother to teenage son.
I’m not sure that a couple
of smelly socks in the
middle of the lounge floor
can be beaten as a centre
piece for our dinner party.
What do you think, Tim?

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Slide 24

girls and women tend to favour more polite and less direct
forms of directives than males
Example 13
(a)Tom: Give me that. I need it
now.
(b) Seymour: Get off that car.
(c) Grant: Get out of my house.
(d)Maria: You finished with that
rolling pin now?
(e) Lisa: My turn now eh?
(f) Meg: It’s time for tea so you’ll
have to go home now.

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Slide 25

Social relationships between people

Example 14
Overseer assigns a
farmworker the wrong
row to hoe.
Farmworker: Go to hell.
Two times you have told
me what to do – each
time it’s been wrong. I’m
staying in this row. You
put somebody else there.

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Slide 26

Politeness and address

forms
Example 16
Israeli passenger and driver on an inter- city bus.
Passenger: Turn the light on, please.
Driver: What?
Passenger: Turn the light on, please.
Driver: It disturbs me.
Passenger: I wanted to read.

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Slide 27

Politeness and address

forms
Politeness involves contributing to social harmony
and avoiding social conflict.
Linguistic politeness involves discourse strategies
or linguistic devices which are perceived or
evaluated by others as having been used to
maintain harmonious relations and avoid causing
trouble.
In many cases, being polite involves adapting
sensitively to evolving social relationships

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Slide 28

Politeness and address

forms
Example 18
Nurse: Good morning Mr Grant.
Mr G: Morning dear.
Nurse: I’m going to change that dressing. Is that
OK?
Mr G: Gonna torture me again are you sweetie?
Nurse: Third degree, no mercy mate.

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Slide 29

Politeness and address

forms
Being linguistically polite involves speaking to
people appropriately in the light of their
relationship to you.
Making decisions about what is or is not
considered polite in any community of practice
therefore assessing social relationships along the
dimensions of social distance or solidarity, and
relative power or status
We need to understand the social values of a
community in order to speak politely.

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Slide 30

Politeness and address

forms
Positive politeness is solidarity oriented. It
emphasises shared attitudes and values.
E.g.
◦ When the boss suggests that a subordinate
should use first name (FN) to her
◦ A shift to a more informal style using slang,
endearments or swear words

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Slide 31

Politeness and address

forms
Negative politeness pays people respect and
avoids intruding them. It involves expressing
oneself appropriately in terms of social distance
and respecting status differences.
E.g.
◦ Indirect directiveness
◦ Using title + last name to your superiors

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Slide 32

Politeness and address

forms
Being polite may also involve the dimension of
formality.
Being polite means getting the linguistic
expression of social distance right as far as your
addressee is concerned.

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Slide 33

Politeness and address

forms
Norms of Western address usage have changed
over time to place more emphasis on solidarity
and less on status.
In many Eastern societies, such as Japan, Korea
and Indonesia, the emphasis remains on status
differences. Being polite involves using language
which recognises relative status very explicitly.

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Slide 34

Politeness and address

forms
Interaction is NOT static.
What is considered polite or impolite may emerge,
change and develop throughout an interaction.

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Slide 35

Example 21
June: Hi. June speaking.
Frances: Hi June. Happy New Year. Just ringing to
check if you and Ricky are coming to our
barbecue tomorrow.
June: Oh, sorry erm didn’t Ricky tell you, we’re
busy tomorrow.
Frances: No he didn’t. Would have been useful to know
a little earlier. We were expecting to be able
to use your barbecue as well as ours.
June: Well too bad I guess since we won’t be there.
Frances: Ok. Thanks for letting us know (sarcastically).
June : Bye (puts phone down).

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Slide 36

Linguistic Politeness in
different cultures

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Slide 37

Linguistic politeness in
different cultures
Example 22
Känner du alla?
(Do you know everyone?)

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Slide 38

Linguistic politeness in
different cultures
Example 22

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Slide 39

Linguistic politeness in
different cultures
On which day of the week
[???] on…everyday would you like to have your bath?

Thai student in Britain British woman

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Slide 40

Linguistic politeness in
different cultures
A plausible and reasonably specific excuse is
mandatory in refusing an invitation in Western culture
Will you come to I’m busy that night
our party? I’m afraid
If Solidarity:
dominant
social
dimension
=> privacy
reduced
=> vagueness
= evasive

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Slide 41

Linguistic politeness in
different cultures
A plausible and reasonably specific excuse is
mandatory in refusing an invitation in Western culture
Will you come to Sorry but I have to
our party? prepare lessons
If Solidarity:
dominant
social
dimension
=> privacy
reduced
=> vagueness
= evasive

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Slide 42

Linguistic politeness in
different cultures
[???] Er, OK! Cool, bring a plate, will you?
Yeah, I’d like to! Want to come to our party?

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Slide 43

Linguistic politeness in
different cultures
Greetings
Example 25
(a) How are you?
(b) Where are you going?
(c) Have you eaten?
(d) Where do you come from?
(e) Are you married?
(f) How much do you earn?
(g) What do you weigh?

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Slide 44

Linguistic politeness in
different cultures
Greetings
Greeting formulas universally serve an
affective function of establishing non-
threatening contact and rapport, but
their precise content is clearly culture
specific.

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Slide 45

Linguistic politeness in
different cultures
Greetings

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Slide 46

All in all
Speech functions
Social context, formality and the relationship
between participants are important factors =>
influence speech acts => politeness
Speech functions are expressed differently in
different communities.
Being polite involves understanding the social
values which govern the way social dimensions
such as status, solidarity and formality are
expressed.
A sociolinguistic description aims to identify the
different weight put on these factors in different
cultures.

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Slide 47

THAT’S ALL!

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