LIN251H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Lexical Diffusion, Chain Shift, Formant
Document Summary
Along with gender, age is the most fundamental social factor structuring the study of lang variation. Strong and specific sociolinguistic expectations usually police young women"s use of the non- standard and taboo lang. This concept recognizes that there are identifiable socially-constructed age stages. Socioling behaviour and capability are played out throughout life: Childhood: learn some ling variation by 3 years old, and lots of social/stylistic competence by age. 10: children over 13 fail to learn new dialects. In western societies, teens are a time of rich socioling innovation and creativity: regarded as the home base of vernacular. Adulthood: their lang often is treated as the norm to be measured against, conversely, their lang is also treated as the colourless case of people who are just using lang instead of learning or losing. Few studies may reflect western phobia of ageing and the aged.
