Linguistics & socio-linguistics compared

Linguistics ‘l’étude de la langue en elle-même et pour elle-même (Saussure)

Covers study of:-

• Phonology: the description of sounds used in a particular language.
  • Not all sounds which the human voice is capable of using are used in all languages
  • How the sounds are strung together – combinations are possible in one language which are not possible in another
  • Sounds are described by reference to their
    • Point of articulation
    • Quality
• Morphology: the affixes (prefixes, infixes & suffixes) and other changes to words which indicated the grammatical function of the word (verb endings)
• Syntax: the accepted order of words in a sentence – French is an S.V.O. language
• Grammar = morphology + syntax
• Semantics: the study of the meaning of words
• Discourse & Text: the way speech/writing assembles ideas arguments etc.
• Pragmatics: the study of the language in its context; the practical function of language; the conventions of language.
• Semiotics – the use of gestures, facial expressions, other body language, accentuation and intonation to reinforce meaning

Socio-linguistics: the study of language in society.

• Language can inform – state facts
• Language can denote –
  • Discourse/text can give the listener/reader can give information as to the speaker’s/writer’s
    • Provenance
    • Social class
    • Background (urban/rural)
    • Age
    • Level of education
    • Sex
    • Religion
  • This is done by
    • The sound of the language (regional accent etc.)
    • Choice of vocabulary
    • Sentence construction

A speaker/writer may choose to stress or try to make less obvious any one of the above in order to show either greater solidarity with or distance from his listeners/readers.