LIN251H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Mnemonic, Domineering, Internet Forum
Document Summary
Situation: extended social occasion within which speech occurs. Speech situations include: court trials, committee meetings, school classes. Context: situation consisting of a core event/activity, and field of action in which it is embedded. Interaction between 2 elements has been seen as unidirectional, from context to language. Sociolinguists see that lang reshapes itself based on context, not that only context defines language. Characterizations of socioling situations investigate norms of lang (generally accepted social patterns: ex. Domain: micro-level concept concerned with code choices that individuals or small groups make in particular interactions. 3 main elements: topic of talk, the locale/physical settings, and expectations. Functions: macro-level concept focused on how langs operate across a nation/society. Ethnography is the core method is social anthropology because it describes a community"s way of life, which is key to interpreting results from participant observation. Ethnographers learn the group"s lang and practices, keeps detailed field notes, asks questions, and likely conducts interviews, all as objectively as possible.
