Language and Social Identity

​Language and Social Identity

By SalemRS

Social groups shape self-identity

• Our self-image is constantly influenced by the people, groups, and situations we meet in life.

• Language is always used with a purpose (greeting, worship, sports support, social media, etc.).

• Context controls how we speak.

• Social groups form a web of formal and informal interactions.

• Group membership can be rule-based, location-based, skill-based, fluid (friend groups), and/ or the local or global (social media)

Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT): convergence & divergence

• Howard Giles (1973) developed CAT.

• People adjust the speech style, accent/vocal patterns, gestures
  to “fit” or “not fit” with others.

• Convergence - becoming more like the group to show belonging.

• Divergence - becoming more different to highlight identity, distance, or status.

• Example is using first name vs title + surname to signal status differences.

Multiple Choice

Which example best shows fluid group membership?

• A school sports team requiring try-outs

• A neighbourhood committee with rules

• A friendship circle that changes over time

• An exam class with a fixed enrolment list

Speech communities, idiolect/sociolect, and linguistic prestige

• Speech communities - groups who share a variety of language and understand its norms.

• Everyone has idiolect (personal style) and sociolect (shared features with group)

• Accents/dialects trigger stereotypes and trust differences

• Studies show young children often prefer native speakers.

• Linguistic prestige - respect given to a language variety in a community.

Speech communities, idiolect/sociolect, and linguistic prestige

• Trudgill (1974, Norwich)

  • some groups (and women) used more prestigious forms (Standard English) rather than local forms

  • language is constantly changing, influenced by social factors like class and gender, and that Standard English is just one dialect, not inherently superior

Multiple Choice

Which term refers to the respect/value assigned to a language variety?

• Idiolect

• Speech community

• Linguistic prestige

• Divergence

Language and social stratification (class, inequality, access)

• Stratification - social grouping where some have more access to opportunities.

• Social inequality often connects to prestige, education, employment

• Example: US multilingualism debates

  • discussion about exclusion of non-English speakers

• Social class awareness shapes self-image.

• Language becomes a marker of class and opportunity.

Research studies: Labov, Trudgill, BBC Class Survey, Bernstein

• Labov (1966, New York) - /r/ pronunciation linked with prestige; people shifted speech toward “prestige” forms

• Trudgill (1974, Norwich) supports that working-class women more aware of prestige forms

• Great British Class Survey (BBC, 2011) - traditional “upper/middle/working” is outdated, but divisions still exist (wealth/technical knowledge)

• Bernstein (1971) explains about the restricted and elaborated codes (linked to language and education access)

Open Ended

Explain how speaking a non-prestige variety can affect a person’s opportunities even if they are intelligent and capable.

Multiple Choice

Labov’s study mainly showed that...

• Language never changes

• People may shift speech toward prestige forms depending on context

• Prestige forms are always regional

• Children do not learn accents

Standard vs non-standard English + Registers (appropriateness)

• Prescriptivism - there are fixed “correct” rules for English.

• Descriptivism - language varies; appropriateness depends on context.

• Registers:

  1. Formal (Standard English)

  2. Colloquial/casual

  3. Slang/non-standard

  4. Frozen language (unchanging, archaic)

• Identity is influenced by what register you choose.

Slang and Jargon as identity markers

Slang

• Unusual, direct, sometimes offensive.

• Changes fast; becomes dated quickly.

• Functions as a group identity marker:

  • includes insiders

  • excludes outsiders

• When slang becomes mainstream, it stops being slang.

Slang and Jargon as identity markers

Jargon

• Technical/specialist language used by professionals (doctors, lawyers).

• Can be precise within the group but confusing outside it.

• Also signals membership and identity in a professional group.

Multiple Choice

Which register best matches a legal oath or national constitution?

• Slang

• Colloquial

• Frozen / formal

• Casual

Open Ended

How does jargon (legal terms like “pro bono”) can create a power imbalance in conversation?