Course: Sociolinguistics (First Term) (Code: Lane, No.

422)
Number of Credits: 3 hours
Instructor: Mrs. Manal Alahmadi
Email: mhaalharbi@kau.edu.sa

Course Aim

Sociolinguistic course aims at providing the students a solid foundation of the

relationship between language and society. It is important that they explore important
themes such as the domain of sociolinguistics, language variations and dialects, styles
and class. They are focused on further important close inter-relationships between
language and sex, context, social interaction, nation, geography, contact, and humanity.

Course Objectives

:In this course, students will be able to

1. acquire insight into the relationship between language and society

2. become acquainted with the linguistic implications of social factors such
as gender, social class, age, and ethnicity
3. know the function of language in establishing social relationships
4. understand the role played by language in conveying information about
the speakers
5. develop sociolinguistic sense and skills by giving them assignments to
practice observation of language use in class and outside class regularly
focusing on social factors
6. impart theoretical knowledge and methodological issues of studying the
relationships between language variations and social structure
7. understand critical approaches in sociolinguistics such as inequality,
power and conflict in interactions

Course Description

In this level students are introduced to an important branch of language study, known as
sociolinguistics. Students are expected to be familiar with the course of linguistics.
Accordingly, I start with a brief discussion and characterization of the relationship
.between language and society and related definitions

I've laid out the key issues that the scope of sociolinguistics is concerned with. These
issues are: competence and performance, goals of sociolinguistics, sociolinguistics and
.the sociology of language, and language in a social perspective
Students are also drawn attention to the central concern of sociolinguistics which is the
way in which language varies systematically. Certain topics will be dealt with such as:
language and social class, dialects, regional dialects, social dialects, accents, styles and
.varieties

Students will develop more complex understanding dimension of social organization by

using the terms of ethnic group, ethnography and speech community. They will be given
varieties of talk, the ethnography of communication, and communicative competence.

Students will also explore another interesting area of investigation in sociolinguistics

which is language and gender. They will tackle sex differences in variation, and some
possible explanations.

They will be given another important social factor of social context in which speakers
find themselves using different linguistic varieties according to different situations
and for different purposes.

In language in interaction, students will be concerned not only with the forms of
language but with how these are used to communicative effect in particular cultural
contexts.

They will be given theories of the way in which language is used in conversations and
the way in which language can be used for manipulating relationships and achieving
particular goals.

Finally, students will be given more factors to language such as nation, geography,
contact and humanity.

Learning Resources:

Textbook:

 Trudgill, P. (1974 ). Sociolinguistics: an introduction to language and

society. England: Penguin Books.
References:

 Chambers, J.K. (1995). Sociolinguistic Theory: Linguistic Variation and

its Social Significance. Oxford UK & Cambridge USA: Blackwell.
 Coupland, N. & Jaworski, A (eds). (1997). Sociolinguistics: A Reader
and Coursebook. USA: St. Martin's Press.
 Hudson, R. A. (1980). Sociolinguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
 Mesthrie, R. et al. (2000). Introducing Sociolinguistics. Edinburgh:
Edinburgh University Press.
 Spolsky, B. (1998). Sociolinguistics. Oxford: oxford University Press.
 Wardhaugh, R. (1998). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Oxford:
Blackwell.
 Course Requirement and Grading

1. Term paper 10%

2. First mid-term exam 25%
3. Second mid-term exam 25%
4. Final exam 40%

Course Detailed Schedule

# Date Topics Reading

1433/ 14/10
1
1433/ 16/10 Add & Drop week
1433/ 18/10
1433/ 21/10
2
1433/ 23/10 Introduction

1433/ 25/10

1433/ 28/10 Mesthrie, R. et al. (2000, PP. 6-11)

3 Sociolinguistics- Language and Relations between language and
1433/ 1/11 society
Society
Spolsky (1998, PP. 79-80) Text 1
03/11/1433

06/11/1433 Wardhaugh (1986, PP 21-52)

Language, Dialects, and Varieties
08/11/1433 Wardhaugh (1986, PP 158-186)
4 Language and Social Class Variation Studies
Spolsky (1998, PP. 82-83) Text 3
10/11/1433
Spolsky (1998, PP. 91-94) Texts 10, 11

13/11/1433
5 Wardhaugh (1986, PP 237-253)
15/11/1433 Language and Ethnic Group
Ethnography and Ethnomethodology
17/11/1433

20/11/1433
6
22/11/1433 Language and Ethnic Group Spolsky (1998, PP. 85-86) Text 5
24/11/1433

27/11/1433 Language and Sex Gender and language

Mesthrie, R. et al. (2000, PP. 216-
29/11/1433 Mid Term 1
7 247) Gender and language use
01/12/1433 Language and Sex Spolsky (1998, PP. 86-88) Texts 6
Spolsky (1998, PP. 95-97) Text 13
 Hajj Vacation

18/12/1433 Wardhaugh (1986, PP. 215-235)

Language and Context
20/12/1433 Language and culture
8 Wardhaugh (1986, PP 280-307)
22/12/1433
Language and Social Interaction Acting and Conversing
Text 7 PP.88-89

25/12/1433
Language and Social Interaction Mesthrie, R. et al. (2000, PP. 184-
9 27/12/1433 214) Language in interaction
29/12/1433

03/01/1434

10 05/01/1434 Language and Nation

07/01/1434

10/01/1434
Wardhaugh (1986, PP 54-84)
11 12/01/1434
Language and Geography Geographical distribution and
linguistic characteristics
14/01/1434

18/01/1434 Mid Term 2 Mesthrie, R. et al. (2000, PP. 248-

277) Language contact
12 20/01/1434 Mesthrie, R. et al. (2000, PP. 433-
Language and Contact
437) Language contact, diglossia and
22/01/1434
code-switching
25/01/1434
13
Language and Humanity
27/01/1434

29/01/1434

03/02/1434
Examp Preparation
14 05/02/1434

07/02/1434

10/02/1434
Final
15 12/02/1434

14/02/1434