Sociolinguistics: A Beginner'S Journey Into Sociolinguistics

Introduction to Sociolinguistics: Understanding Language in Society

What you'll learn

1. Core principles of sociolinguistics and the link between language and society.

2. Key differences between human and animal communication.

3. Characteristics and functions of a lingua franca.

4. Types, reasons, and impacts of bilingualism.

5. Regional, social, and functional language varieties, including dialects, idiolects, accents, and registers.

6. Formation and roles of Creole and Pidgin languages.

7. Causes and mechanisms of language change.

8. Processes and effects of language shift and language death.

9. Social factors influencing language use, such as identity and attitudes.

10. Real-world applications of sociolinguistic concepts, like code-switching, slang, and jargon.

Requirements

Students should be able to read and understand basic English

Description

Course OverviewThis course explores how language operates within societal contexts, bridging linguistics and sociology. Students will gain insights into language variation, identity, bilingualism, and the dynamics of language change. Sociolinguistics•What Is Sociolinguistics?•Introduction•DefinitionsHuman vs Animal language•Duality•Productivity•Arbitrariness•Interchangeability•Specialization•Displacement•Transmission of cultural valuesLingua Franca•What is Lingua Franca?•Key Aspects of a Lingua Franca•Characteristics of a Lingua Franca•Functions of a Lingua FrancaBilingualism•What is Bilingualism?•Types of Bilingualism•Kinds of Bilingualism•Reasons of Bilingualism•Impact of Bilingualism on Individuals and SocietyLanguage Varieties•Introduction•Types of language varieties⚬Regional Varieties⚬Social Varieties⚬Functional Varieties⚬Situational Varieties⚬Code-Switching⚬Idiolects⚬Creoles and Pidgins⚬Jargon and SlangCreole•What is Creole?•Characteristics of Creole•Creole functions•Why did Creoles emerge ?Pidgin•What is Pidgin?•Pidgin Characteristics•Need for PidginDialect•What is a Dialect ?•Dialect variation•Forms of dialect variationIdiolect•What is Idiolect?•Idiolect CharacteristicsAccent•What is Accent?•Types of Accents•Factors Influencing Accent•Accent and Identity•Accent Perception and AttitudesRegister•What is Register?•Kinds of register•Formal register•Formal register characteristics•Reason to use formal Register•Informal register•Informal register Characteristics•Use of Informal register•Factors Influence Register•Importance of RegisterLanguage Change•What is language change?•Reasons for Language Change•Mechanisms of Language ChangeLanguage Shift•What is Language Shift?•Key Aspects of Language Shift•Strategies to Counter Language Shift

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Introduction

Lecture 2 Sociolinguistics

Lecture 3 Human vs Animal language

Lecture 4 Lingua Franca

Lecture 5 Bilingualism

Lecture 6 Language Varieties

Lecture 7 Creole

Lecture 8 Pidgin

Lecture 9 Dialect

Lecture 10 Idiolect

Lecture 11 Accent

Lecture 12 Register

Lecture 13 Language Change

Lecture 14 Language Shift

Lecture 15 Language Death

This course is for a student of linguistics, a teacher, or simply curious about how language shapes our world, this course will give you valuable insights in an easy-to-understand way.