Sociolinguistics: Interplay of Language, Society, and Variation
Defining Sociolinguistics and Its Scope
Sociolinguistics (SL) analyzes the actual linguistic productions of speakers. This discipline studies and analyzes the connections and uses among linguistic features and social factors (such as age, sex, education, and profession). It questions whether our language uses are connected to our social realities.
Sociolinguistics vs. Dialectology
While sociolinguistics establishes a vertical view from a specific point, dialectology seeks differential analysis from
Read MoreMastering English Grammar: Clause Structures & Sentence Elements
Chapter 3: Development of the Message
Unit 9: Intransitive and Copular Patterns
Intransitive Verbs: These verbs do not require an object to complete their meaning (She runs).
- Pattern 1: Subject + Predicate (John sleeps).
- Pattern 2: Subject + Predicate + Adjunct (She runs quickly).
- Pattern 3: Subject + Predicate with time adjunct (The baby cried all night).
Types of Intransitive Verbs:
- Verbs of behaviour: cry, laugh, yawn, cough
- Verbs of weather: rain, snow, thunder
- Verbs of occurrence: happen, occur, develop
- Idiomatic
The Importance of Being Earnest: Plot, Characters, and Themes
The Importance of Being Earnest: Plot Summary
Act 1: London Deceptions
The story begins in London, at Algernon Moncrieff’s house. Jack Worthing visits Algernon, but Algernon calls him ‘Ernest.’ Jack explains that in the countryside, he is known as Jack, but when he comes to London, he pretends to be his imaginary brother, Ernest. This way, he can enjoy city life without damaging his reputation. Gwendolen Fairfax, Algernon’s cousin, arrives with her mother, Lady Bracknell. Jack proposes to Gwendolen,
Read MoreUnderstanding Textual Cohesion and Lyric Poetry Genres
Cohesion is revealed in the relationships between different segments of the text. His absence could lead to misinterpretation, and even that is incomprehensible. It is equivalent to the textual syntax. Mechanisms that facilitate textual cohesion:
- Textual reference: It is in the text when an item refers to something already stated in the same (anaphora) or appears (cataphora).
- Ellipsis: Occurs when the text deletes linguistic elements that can be understood.
- Deixis: It has a signaling function. The
Child Language Development Stages & Brain Areas
Language Development
Phonological Development
The child passes through different stages until age 6.
Prelinguistic Stage (Birth to First Words, 0-12 Months)
The child makes sounds involuntarily, such as sneezing and burping, and then emits gurgling cries and guttural sounds. From 3-4 months, the child emits sounds like voluntary babbling, developing simple, reduplicated, and finally variegated babbling, which is not quite yet close to the first words.
Language Phase (12 Months – 7 Years)
The babbling
Read MoreUnderstanding Politeness in Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis
Politeness: A Pragmatic Phenomenon because it deals with the speaker’s intention. Lakoff: Be clear (Grice’s maxims of conversation), be polite (don’t impose: less cost by indirect form), give opinions (hedges relax conditions), and make the addressee feel good (appropriate formality). Leech: Theory of effective use of language (interpersonal rhetoric). TACT/GENEROSITY (cost/benefit), APPROBATION/MODESTY (praise/dispraise), agreement (disagreement and agreement), sympathy/antipathy, sympathy.
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