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Linguistics at U of T |
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LIN
351 SOCIOLINGUISTIC PATTERNS ASSIGNMENT
1 Sociolinguistic variables and categories
The main goal of this assignment is to work with terminology so that we are all on
the same page when we use language to talk about language, and to get familiar with the concept of a sociolinguistic variable. Be sure to put your name and student number on the assignment. You may handwrite your assignment if you have clear, legible handwriting.
Otherwise, please type. You must turn in a hard copy of all assignments, unless
otherwise specified. This assignment is
due at the beginning of your tutorial. Late work will not be accepted. (A) The linguistic variable
Think
of ten different ways that
English varies. You might think of lexical, phonological, or syntactic
variables. Choose at least one variable that is phonological (or phonetic) and
at least one that is lexical. Model your responses on this example, showing the
variable, all of its variants,
and stating what type of variable it is. You’ll need to create a name for your variable. Put it in parentheses.
(B)
Sociolinguistic categories (also called external factors) For
each of the 10 variables that you gave in (A), briefly discuss external factors
that correlate to the selection of each variant. Although not all will be
relevant for each variable you think of, you’ll want to think about:
Sample
response:
For the variable (evening meal), the word ‘supper’ is preferred by Canadians age 30-69 while
‘dinner’ is preferred by Canadians over the
age of 70. [from the Dialect
Topography website]. [Return
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