Sociolinguistic Marker Research Articles

Voice pitch and gender in autism.

It is has often been observed that autistic individuals have higher-pitched voices than non-autistic ones, but no clear explanation for this difference has been put forth. However, autistic males are still dramatically over-represented in published research, including the acoustic studies that report higher pitch in autistic participants. In this study, we collected speech samples from a group of autistic and neurotypical adults that, unlike in most studies, was perfectly balanced between groups and genders. In this gender-balanced sample, pitch was significantly higher in autistic versus neurotypical men, but lower in autistic versus neurotypical women. Overall, women tend to have higher-pitched voices than men, but the magnitude of this difference is culture dependent and may be significantly influenced by the internalisation of normative expectations towards one's gender. We propose that higher pitch in autistic males and lower pitch in autistic females could be due, at least in part, to a lesser integration of sociolinguistic markers of gender. Our report shows that speech atypicality should not be operationalised in terms of systematic and unidirectional deviation from the neurotypical baseline.

Технологические основы обучения студентов – будущих учителей иностранного языка ведению англоязычного профессионально-педагогического блога

The aim of the study is to present the fundamentals of training technology for prospective English language teachers in the maintenance of an English language professional and pedagogical blog. The article considers a professional and pedagogical blog as a way of developing and improving students’ sociolinguistic skills, which are necessary for the implementation of written intercultural communication. This work outlines the results of the analysis of the most common sociolinguistic markers used by English language teachers during online interaction. The necessity of taking into account sociolinguistic variability in the Internet environment is substantiated. The description of four groups of sociolinguistic skills and presentation of the scope of their application in intercultural communication is allocated as a scientific novelty. As a result of the study, a technology of teaching students to maintain an English language professional and pedagogical blog is developed. The technology includes four stages.

The Rise and Fall of Liz Truss in English-Language Media Coverage

Using the example of the life and work of former British Prime Minister Liz Truss, this article examines the problem of perception and evaluation of the personality of a female politician by media representatives. The aim of the study is to examine the sociolinguistic markers used in the English-language media in 2022, which characterise Liz Truss. The objectives of the research are to search for information about her biography and career growth, as well as to analyse articles published on the websites of leading English-language media in order to select sociolinguistic markers that assess the personality and the work of the ex-prime minister. As a result of the study, the hypothesis was confirmed that the media had a positive attitude towards Liz Truss’s coming to power, which was quickly replaced by a negative attitude due to her failure to bring about social and economic transformation in the UK. The result of the work was a corpus of sociolinguistic markers that characterise the personality and activities of Truss, which allow us to argue that the negative attitude towards the prime minister was not based on gender, but on a failure to fulfil the expectations that society had of her.

Tapped /r/ in RP: a corpus-based sociophonetic study across the twentieth century

Abstract This paper aims to explore the use of the tap allophone [ɾ] in Received Pronunciation (RP) in word-internal and linking /r/ contexts over three decades (1940s–1960s) and considering three age cohorts (<35 years old, 35–54 years old, and ≥55 years old). A spoken corpus of formal register materials was compiled to conduct further perceptual and acoustic analysis and classify the articulation of /r/ into tap versus no tap. Results show a decreasing tendency of tap production across decades, and the initial stage of its replacement by the approximant variant. From a sociolinguistic perspective, tapped /r/ may have potentially changed its status, from an indicator to a marker. The fact that the tap allophone has become a sociolinguistic marker can encourage future research on intra-speaker variation. Women and middle-aged speakers (35–54 years old) are the ones leading this sound change, opting for the innovative approximant. This may be due to professional pressures or aspects of social identity, yet further research is needed. Furthermore, the word-internal context seems to favour the production of taps, which could be due to the general low frequency of linking /r/ and the formal register of the materials.

Projection of Socio-Linguistic markers in a semantic context and its application to online social networks

Relevant socio-psychological processes can be detected in social networks thanks to an analysis of linguistic markers that sheds light on the characteristics and dynamics of the social discourse. Usually, linguistic markers comprise a list of words representative of a given construct; however, this approach does not account for contextual interdependencies of words, which can amplify or diminish the relevance of a particular word. In this paper, we present and leverage a scalable method called PageRank-like marker projection (PLMP) that addresses this problem. Its rationale, inspired by PageRank, is meant to fully exploit the interdependencies in a semantic network to project markers from a social discourse level (tweets) to its semantic elements (words). We show how PLMP is able to associate markers with specific words from their semantic context, which allows for an even richer interpretation of the online sentiment. We demonstrate the effectiveness of PLMP in practice by considering specific instances of social discourse on Twitter for three exemplary calls to collective action.

Geolocation of multiple sociolinguistic markers in Buenos Aires.

Analysis of language geography is increasingly being used for studying spatial patterns of social dynamics. This trend is fueled by social media platforms such as Twitter which provide access to large amounts of natural language data combined with geolocation and user metadata enabling reconstruction of detailed spatial patterns of language use. Most studies are performed on large spatial scales associated with countries and regions, where language dynamics are often dominated by the effects of geographic and administrative borders. Extending to smaller, urban scales, however, allows visualization of spatial patterns of language use determined by social dynamics within the city, providing valuable information for a range of social topics from demographic studies to urban planning. So far, few studies have been made in this domain, due, in part, to the challenges in developing algorithms that accurately classify linguistic features. Here we extend urban-scale geographical analysis of language use beyond lexical meaning to include other sociolinguistic markers that identify language style, dialect and social groups. Some features, which have not been explored with social-media data on the urban scale, can be used to target a range of social phenomena. Our study focuses on Twitter use in Buenos Aires and our approach classifies tweets based on contrasting sets of tokens manually selected to target precise linguistic features. We perform statistical analyses of eleven categories of language use to quantify the presence of spatial patterns and the extent to which they are socially driven. We then perform the first comparative analysis assessing how the patterns and strength of social drivers vary with category. Finally, we derive plausible explanations for the patterns by comparing them with independently generated maps of geosocial context. Identifying these connections is a key aspect of the social-dynamics analysis which has so far received insufficient attention.

Phonetic variation and its spatial distribution in urban Austria: /l/-vocalization as a sociolinguistic marker?

AbstractThis paper investigates German /l/-vocalization in the dialect region of South/Central Bavarian. In Austria, /l/-vocalization is said to be restricted to Central Bavarian, constituting the most salient dialect feature. However, its existence within the transition zone of South/Central Bavarian, including the urban and surrounding area of Graz, is often assumed. By analyzing natural speech data of different age groups from Greater Graz in a formal and an informal communication situation, we see that /l/-vocalization is already a well-established phenomenon, whereby the older age-group vocalizes considerably more often than the younger one. This suggests that /l/-vocalization serves as a sociolinguistic rather than a dialect marker indicating regional identity.

The Family Relationships as a Sociolinguistic Marker in the Etiquette Speech of the Aristocracy in the XIX TH Century (Anglo-Russian Parallels)

The present study is devoted to the sociolinguistic aspect of speech etiquette, illustrated by the description, analysis and comparison of the etiquette speech of the Russian nobility and the English aristocracy in the nineteenth century. The research is carried out in line with sociolinguistics. The sociolinguistic approach allows speech to be considered as a system of social signs, determining the personality, of the communicants and reveal the social aspects of the phenomenon of speech of the aristocracy. We focus our attention on the family relationships as a sociolinguistic marker in the etiquette speech of the aristocracy in the XIX th century and its role and influence on the usage of speech etiquette formulas, because the individual's belonging to a certain social class, his origin, and the environment where one lives, affects his speech; it is focused on the social marker family relations as a regulator in the usage of etiquette forms of the address. The relevance of the subject is determined by the importance of language not only as a complex system but also as a social phenomenon, serving the needs of society; providing communication of this society. And in particular, the family as a platform for collecting empirical material for sociolinguistic study, and object for studying the mutual influences between the speech constants of family members, proving and such a way the importance of etiquette in the communication as a component of the communicative activity of the individual The empirical material of the study is excerpted from the significant works of fiction in the English and Russian art literature.

Sociolinguistic Markers of Friendship Among Persons With Dementia in Long-Term Care

Sociolinguistics and discourse analysis provide tools through which to examine how friendship is socially constructed through language and communication. Research on social isolation and loneliness reveals the importance of social interaction on the psychological and physical health of older adults. Given that linguistic, communicative, and functional abilities decline as dementia progresses, it is challenging to identify markers of friendship. The Friendship Project is an ethnographic study of social interaction among persons with dementia living in a long-term care setting. The data are from transcripts and field-notes of social interactions among residents with a range of cognitive impairments over a six-month time period. Results reveal that persons with dementia employ specific linguistic features such as narrative, evaluation, evidentials, and pronominal reference to make meaning and create relationships over time. Practical implications will be discussed.

Entre el español clásico y el primer español moderno: la evolución de las completivas dependientes de un predicado doxástico (1500–1800)

Using the tools of Historical sociolinguistics, and based on a corpus made of by private correspondence and other ego-documents (diaries, memoirs, etc.), this article analyses the patterns of variation and change detected in two key phases of the history of Spanish (the Golden Age and the first modern Spanish) around the same phenomenon of syntactic variation: the presence / absence of que in dependent clauses of a doxastic predicate (creer). The two mixed-effect regression analyses performed, one for each period, show a significant decrease, albeit moderate and sustained over time, in the levels of elisions with respect to classical Spanish, a period in which the vernacular variant reached its greatest apogee. On the other hand, in the 18th century some structural forces that already acted in the past are observed, together with others that imply a restructuring of old constraints, if not a break with the Golden Age period. However, the greatest changes can be seen at the socio-stylistic level. In this sense, the variable ceases to be a sociolinguistic marker, as it was in the past, to be conditioned in the 18th century by other factor groups, such as sex, but especially the migratory context. Thus, an important gap between European and American Spanish is seen in the data, with much higher numbers in favour of elision in the latter, suggesting the possible conservation of a syntactic archaism in America. The article also discusses some theoretical implications, both linguistic and social, derived from these results.

The versatility of creaky phonation: Segmental, prosodic, and sociolinguistic uses in the world's languages

Creaky phonation (also known as creaky voice, vocal fry, laryngealization, or glottalization) is a voice quality that refers to shortened and thickened vocal folds that vibrate at a low and quasi-regular fundamental frequency with a long period of damping. Cross-linguistically, creaky phonation can span either short or long domains. When implemented on individual vowels or consonants (as in Zapotec or Montana Salish), it can signal phonemic contrast with other voice qualities, or it can be an additional acoustic cue to enhance other contrasts, such as tone (as in Mandarin or Cantonese). Another segmental use of creaky phonation in many languages is as a variant of glottal stop. Creaky phonation can also be implemented as a prosodic element that signals the end of a phrase (as in English or Mandarin), or indicates relinquishing a conversational turn (as in Finnish). It can also express meaning in a social interaction, such as irritation (in Vietnamese). Lastly, creaky phonation can be deployed as a sociolinguistic marker to establish identities, convey affect, or distinguish one speech group from another within the same language. In some social circumstances, such as the perception that young women use creaky phonation at greater rates than men do, it can be evaluated negatively by listeners. As creaky phonation can be combined with linguistic elements at various levels and is easily perceptible, it has taken on a remarkable number of roles in our linguistic repertoires. This article is categorized under: Linguistics > Language in Mind and Brain.

“Corona psychosis”, “corona skeptics”, “covidism”, “covidophobia” and other sociolinguistic markers of 2020

“Corona psychosis”, “corona skeptics”, “covidism”, “covidophobia” and other sociolinguistic markers of 2020

SOCIOLINGUISTIC MARKERS OF A GOVERNESS' IMAGE IN THE VICTORIAN AGE (ON THE MATERIALS OF THE NOVELS BY THE BRONTЕ SISTERS)

The present article deals with a shift in the social perception of an English governess in the 1830-ies in view of sociolinguistic markers by means of which her image is created. The shift was caused by rising living standards of Victorians, especially of those involved in industry and trade. The eagerness to emulate their landed aristocracy, which middle-class English people have always been well-known for, is reflected by the fact that the eligibility of employing a governess for one's children is no longer restricted to aristocratic families. Instead, it is regarded as a matter of pride and a symbol of wealth and prosperity by middle-class people. As a result, Victorian literature sees the arrival of a new genre the governess novel where the main character falls a victim of her financial situation and has to tolerate the brutal working conditions and suffer from both her employers' and her pupils' undisguised contempt. The article studies the anthroponymic space of the novels Agnes Grey by Anne Brontё and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontё and analyses the dictionary definitions of key lexemes, which reveals some class prejudices a governess has to face and the reasons for her intermediate social position in a Victorian house.

Controlled and automatic perceptions of a sociolinguistic marker

AbstractThis paper explores the relation between controlled and automatic perceptions of a sociolinguistic variable that yields no metalinguistic commentary—a marker (Labov, 1972). Two experiments examine links between the backed trap vowel and its social meanings. The first, a matched guise task, measures social evaluations of the feature in a relatively controlled, introspective task. In the second, two measures are used that access different points in online processing and different degrees of listener control: (a) lexical categorization of an ambiguous stimulus, measured by a mouse click, and (b) automatic, early responses to this ambiguous stimulus, measured by eye movements. While listeners perceptually link trap-backing with social information in all three measures, specific social effects differ across the measures. Findings illustrate that the task and time course of a response influence how listeners link a linguistic marker with social information, even when this sociolinguistic knowledge is below the level of conscious awareness.

Code-Switching as a Sociolinguistic Marker in EFL Classroom Interaction

Code-switching is a language alternation used by students speaking English as second or foreign language in communication. It is effectively used to create a communicative interaction in natural settings of foreign language, that is, classroom settings in Indonesia. However, Indonesian teachers teaching English consider switching codes as language competence failure. This study proved that using Indonesian while expressing ideas in English was effectively used to meet sociolinguistic functions- equivalence, floor-holding, reiteration, and conflict control. In addition, it was a communicative strategy used by EFL learners to overcome communication difficulties to achieve an intended communication. Therefore, this paper places a great importance of utilizing code-switching for classroom interaction for beginners as proved by this study. By the findings of this study, it is expected that code-switching is not considered as a communicative competence failure in learning English as a foreign language, but as communication strategy a continuity of the speech.

Social class, cluster simplification and following context: Sociolinguistic variation in word-final post-obstruent liquid deletion in French

ABSTRACTThis article is a quantitative study of the variable deletion of post-obstruent /l/ and /R/ in word-final obstruent-liquid clusters (OLC) in French (capable [kapab(l)], cidre [sid(ʁ)]). The analysis of over a thousand tokens extracted from a corpus of interviews gathered in Nancy and Rennes shows that the reduction of word-final OLCs is a stable sociolinguistic marker in northern, standardised metropolitan French. Patterns of stylistic and social stratification in age, gender, and social class and interaction with following phonological context are attested, but OLC reduction does not appear to be an ongoing change. It is argued that the data provide further evidence of variable morpheme-final consonant clusters as a ‘primitive’ feature of vernacular dialects.

Operationalising salience: definite article reduction in the North of England

Definite article reduction (DAR) is a dialectal variable confined to the North of England. In DAR dialects, the standard article alternates with a reduced one, which is mostly realised as a glottal stop and sometimes as a voiceless fricative before vowels. DAR is a salient sociolinguistic marker in the sense of Labov (1972) and Trudgill (1986). This article argues that its salience is derived from its status as a good boundary marker that listeners can utilise in order to segment the speech stream.Salience is the property of a variable which makes it cognitively or perceptually prominent both for speakers of the dialect and for speakers of other dialects. DAR is a salient marker inasmuch as it shows variation and style shifting, can be an identity marker, and has long been recognised by layperson and linguist alike as a typical feature of Northern speech.It will be argued that DAR is salient since it is a good word-boundary marker. The reduced article constitutes domains of low transitional probability, which listeners exploit to segment the speech signal. It has been recognised that word segmentation plays a major role in speech processing and that listeners use statistical inferences (besides other kinds of information) to locate word boundaries. The conclusion is that the salience of DAR can be derived from its distributions, as these distributions result in the variable's perceptual prominence.

Explanations for Historical Merger and Current Variation of the English Morpheme -ing

The morpheme -ing is variably realized as non-standard [?n] or the standard [?ŋ] in present-day English, showing a stable sociolinguistic variation. Historical documents suggest that the origin of the [?n] variant is related to the OE verbal ending -ende and the spelling -ing is the result of the merger with the OE nominal ending -inge. As progressive is becoming more popular today, the [?n] variant is found in almost all English speaking communities, but rather differently as a sociolinguistic marker to express the nature of the context as well as the speaker’s identity in terms of region, social class, gender, and ethnicity. This paper attempts to provide a cogent explanation of why the two morphemes in the 12th century had merged into -ing. Phonological salience of the syllable -ing /?ŋ/ along with the unmarked nature of velar nasal /ŋ/ in the coda position can be taken into consideration. The fact that the progressive aspect did not exist at the time of merger, so that the frequency of verbal endings were lower than the nominal endings, also can be supportive evidence for the selection of -ing and current variation with the alveolar nasal pronunciation as a consequence.

Uh and Um as sociolinguistic markers in British English

This study is based on the British National Corpus (BNC) and also takes data from the London-Lund Corpus (LLC) into account. It shows that the so-called filled pauses er/uh and erm/um are sociolinguistic markers that differentiate between registers of English and along gender, age and socio-economic class. Men, older people and educated speakers use more fillers than women, younger speakers and less educated speakers. Nasalization is used more often by women, younger speakers and more educated speakers. These sociolinguistic factors can probably partly explain the fact that the use of fillers is higher in the LLC and the context-governed sample of the BNC than in the demographic sample of the BNC. It is argued that a more positive view should be taken of fillers as planning signals, or planners, and that their functions should be submitted to careful discourse analytic study. Their recognition as words will facilitate such an undertaking.

Variación socioeconómica de los rasgos fonéticos dialectales de la lengua española

El presente trabajo busca cuantificar la importancia socioeconómica de siete rasgos fonéticos (seseo, yeísmo, aspiración de /s/, aspiración de /x/, asibilación de /ʝ/, asibilación de /r/ y velarización de /n/), cuya presencia o ausencia sirve para caracterizar veinticuatro dialectos del idioma español. Para ello se efectúa un análisis de regresión por mínimos cuadrados que sirve para calcular “precios hedónicos” asociados con tales rasgos fonéticos. El resultado es +que las tres características más significativas que parecen operar como signos de un ingreso per cápita más bajo son el seseo, la aspiración de /x/ y la asibilación de /r/. El primero de tales rasgos parece ser también significativo como marcador sociolingüístico cuando limitamos nuestro análisis al caso de España, en tanto que la asibilación de /r/ mantiene su significación cuando restringimos nuestras observaciones al caso de Colombia.