Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2002. Vol. 3. Eger Journal of English Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 29)
Myroslava Fabian: Sociolinguistics: Some Theoretical Considerations
Sociolinguistics: Some Theoretical Considerations 1 Myroslava Fabian Sociolinguistics is a term including the aspects of linguistics applied towards the connections between language and society, and the way we use it in different social situations. It ranges from the study of a wide variety of dialects across a given region dow n to the analysis between the way men and women speak to one another. Sociolinguistics often shows us the humorous realities of human speech and how a dialect of a given language can often describe the age, sex, and social class of the speaker; it codes the social function of a language. One of the main factors that has led to the growth of sociolinguistic research has been the recognition of the importance of the fact that language is a very variable phenomenon, and this variability may have as much to do with society as with language. A language is not a simple, single code used in the same manner by all people in all situations, and "linguistics has now arrived at a stage where it is both possible and beneficial to begin to tackle this complexity" (Trudgill 1974:32). Sociolinguistics, then, is the study of social life through linguistics. It is the best single label to represent a very wide range of contemporary research at the intersection of linguistics, sociology, social psychology, anthropology, educat ion and human communication studies. It has become an increasingly important and popular field of study, as certain cultures the world over expand their communication base and intergroup and interpersonal relations take on escalating significance. In the normal transfer of information through language, we use language to send vital social messages about who we are, where we come from, and who we associate with. It is often shocking to realize how extensively we may judge a person's background, character, and intentions based simply on the person's language, dialect, or, in some instances, even the choice of words. Among the main concerns of sociolinguistics one can mention the following ones: 1 The present publication has been prepared in the framework of the grant Domus Hmgarica Sdentiarum et Arti um. Eger Journal of English Studies, Volume III, 2002 ' 143-146
