The sociology of language studies how language use affects society, with a focus on how certain groups use language to communicate and connect or separate. It also looks at how society influences language use, such as the impact of the Norman invasion on the Saxon language in England. Language can influence perception, with those using “nicer” sounding language often seen as more cultured. The sociology of language also examines how different social groups, such as teenagers and older generations, use language to create separation.
The sociology of language studies how the use of certain types of language affects society. Many sociologists who study the sociology of language also study sociolinguistics, which is the study of how society affects language. The theory in both schools of thought is that certain groups of people will use certain types of language to communicate with each other. Often, these types of communications act as bridges or barriers to connect or separate different sociological groups. If sociologists are able to understand the different styles of speech in a culture, they often have a better chance of understanding how they work.
Many times, the sociology of language looks at different classes in societies to find out what kind of language they use. For example, after the Normans invaded England, the Saxon language fell out of fashion. The Saxons used a rough-sounding style of speech from which many modern profanities were derived. These words were not profane to the Saxons, they were simply words. The Normans, who held supremacy over the Saxons for hundreds of years, brought French and a leaner version of English with them. When placed side by side, the Normans naturally sounded more cultured because their language was more lyrical.
In the example above, the sociology of language claims that language has influenced society by making those with nicer sounding language look down on those with ruder language. The same principles still apply today. English journalists are encouraged to shed their colloquial accents for a more standard way of speaking. In the United States, those who use poor grammar are often perceived as unintelligent, rude, or uncultured by those who use correct grammar. In other words, the use of different styles of language has a very large impact on how people in various sociological groups perceive each other.
The sociology of language can also be seen within sociological groups that share the same social class, but may belong to different age groups or cliques. For example, teenagers in an upper-class neighborhood may have their own language—full of nicknames, colloquialisms, and terms—that older members of the neighborhood don’t understand. This naturally causes a separation between these two groups. The older generation can be confused and frustrated by the jargon that the younger generation uses, while the younger generation can become angry when their language is belittled.
In all of the above examples, one can see where the sociology of language and sociolinguistics collide. Just as language impacts perception, so does society impact language. The supremacy of the Normans over the Saxons, for example, eventually caused the Saxon language to fall completely out of fashion. Some words and terms from Saxon England still exist, but Norman terms and grammar certainly took precedence when the two languages collided.
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