social dialectal variation n
another term for sociolectal variation
see sociolect
social distance n
the feeling a person has that his or her social position is relatively similar to
or relatively different from the social position of someone else. The social
distance between two different groups or communities influences commu-
nication between them, and may affect the way one group learns the language
of another (for example, an immigrant group, learning the language of the
dominant group in a country). Social distance may depend on such factors
as differences in the size, ethnic origin, political status, social status of two
groups, and has been studied in second language acquisition research.
see also pidginization hypothesis, assimilation^2 , acculturation
social function n
see functions of language^1
social identity n
the way a person categorizes themself in relation to an identifiable social
group, such as the nation state, or one’s gender, ethnicity, class, or profes-
sion. Social identities are multiple, changing, and often in conflict with one
another. They are constructed to a large extent through the way people use
language in discourse.
socialization n
the process of internalization through which humans become members of
particular cultures, learning how to speak the language of that culture and
how to act, think and feel as a member of the culture. The term language
socialization is used to refer to primary socialization that takes place
during childhood within the family, but can also refer to secondary social-
izations throughout life, to specialized forms and uses of language in school,
community, and work settings. Language socialization is a broader term
than language acquisition, since it includes cultural, pragmatic and other
forms of learning apart from language learning.
socialized speech n
see egocentric speech
social psychology of language n
the study of how society and its structures affect the individual’s language
behaviour. Investigations in this field deal, for instance, with attitudes to
different languages or language varieties and to their speakers.
social psychology of language