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SOCIAL ROLES
 People can influence our behavior, but perhaps one
of the most important is that the presence of others
seems to set up expectations.
 People expect people to behave in a way that they
expect them to behave.
 We do not expect people to behave randomly but to
behave in certain ways in particular situations. Each
social situation entails its own set of expectations
about the “proper” way to behave. Such
expectations can vary from group to group.
 These expectations become apparent when we look
at the roles that people play in society.
— Social roles are the part people play as members of
a social group. With each social role you adopt, your
behavior changes to fit the expectations both you
and others have of that role.
In the words of William Shakespeare:
All the worlds a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits, and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts.
SOCIAL NORMS
Social Norms - are the unwritten rules of beliefs,
attitudes, and behaviors that are considered acceptable
in a particular social group or culture.
 Norms are the expected behavior and function to
provide order in the society.
 These norms provide us the key to understanding
social influence to conform in the society.
 Social norms are the accepted standards of behavior
of a particular social group.
— Norms provide order in society. It is difficult to see
how human society could operate without social
norms. Human beings need norms to guide and
direct their behavior, to provide order and
predictability in social relationships, and to make
sense of and understand each other’s actions. These
are some of the reasons why most people, most of
the time, conform to social norms.
LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGE USE
 Humans have the capacity to use complex language,
far more than any other species on Earth. We
cooperate with each other to use language for
communication; language is often used to
communicate about and even construct and
maintain our social world. Language use and human
sociality are inseparable parts of Homo sapiens as a
biological species.
 Every human group has a language; human infants
(except those who have unfortunate disabilities)
learn at least one language without being taught
explicitly. Even when children who don’t have much
language to begin with are brought together, they
can begin to develop and use their own language.
There is at least one known instance where children
who had had little language were brought together
and developed their own language spontaneously
with minimum input from adults.
 In Nicaragua in the 1980s, deaf children who were
separately raised in various locations were brought
together to schools for the first time. Teachers tried
to teach them Spanish with little success. However,
they noticed that the children were using their
hands and gestures, apparently to communicate
with each other. Linguists were brought in to find
out what was happening—it turned out the children
had developed their own sign language by
themselves. That was the birth of a new language,
Nicaraguan Sign Language (Kegl, Senghas, &
Coppola, 1999). Language is ubiquitous, and we
humans are born to use it.
 We exchange words and utterances to communicate
with each other. According to Clark (1996), for
them to carry out a conversation, they must keep
track of common ground. Common ground is a set
of knowledge that the speaker and listener share,
and they think, assume, or otherwise take for
granted that they share.
 Common ground changes as we talk, gathering new
information that we agree on and have evidence
that we share. It evolves as people take turns to
assume the roles of speaker and listener, and
actively engage in the exchange of meaning.
Language and Social Relations
 Language has social functions. It helps us to
establish and maintain relationships and while
language is mainly used for communication, it acts
as a catalyst for cementing social relationships
 Speakers of the same language speak the language
differently. It is since they may share the same
language but differs in social background, thus, the
choice of words when speaking the language may
vary.
 And so, language may reveal information about its
user.
 Considering the relationship between language and
its society will also explore the relationship between
language and its user.
Speech Communities
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 A speech community is a group of people who share the first name. Solidarity is associated with
one or more varieties of language and the rules for reciprocal forms of address. Both speakers address
using those varieties in everyday communication. each other by title, last name, or first name.
(Ottonheimer pg.94)
 Speech community allows us to:
 Power usually indicates asymmetrical relationships
 Focus on a smaller unit of speakers of a
where one speaker is subordinate to another, while
particular language
solidarity indicates symmetrical relationships
 Get away from the idea that one language is
characterized by social equality and similarity.
equal to one culture
Those of solidarity distinguish relatively intimate
 Thus, a speech community is a group of people who
relations from distant ones (Hudson, 1996).
forms a community that speaks a particular
Dominance or power in a conversation is usually
language.
affected by several variables like; sex, status, age,
and kinship relations which make power a non-
Characteristics of a Speech community
inherited feature. Power circulates among
participants in a conversation due to many reasons
 They speak the same language or dialect
(Mendez & Garcia, 2012). Therefore, identifying
 Members must interact linguistically with other
power in a particular talk is not an easy
members
task. Tannen and Kakava (1992) emphasize that
 Share the same attitudes toward linguistic
the linguistic markers of power and solidarity are
norms
not only ambiguous, implying either power or
solidarity, but are also polysemous as they may
imply both at the same time.
Social Circles
 A social circle is a group of socially
interconnected people. It is the locus of a
 Solidarity forms express intimacy and familiarity
particular group of socially interconnected
(Polly Sterling, 2000). Solidarity can be achieved in
people and from the perspective of the group as
interactions where interlocutors share some
a cohesive group.
common attributes — for instance, attendance at
 Social circles tend to have unique sets of norms
the same school, work in the same profession,
and values. Members who do not comply may
membership in the same family.
be ostracized or embarrassed by other
members of the group.
Gender and Language

 Gender can play an important part in language

Importance of Social Circles
 A social circle also gives you a platform where
you can discuss all your problems and ask for
suggestions from many people at once.
 Social circles give you a place in society
indirectly, where you will be accepted.
 A social circle makes the world a smaller place
and a beautiful one.
 Social circles provide you with a zone where you
can enter and leave according to your
convenience and not be questioned about it!
Power and Solidarity
 Brown and Gilman (1960) state that in any
conversation between two persons one of them is
thought to have the power to control the talk and
behavior of the other person. They further claim
that both speakers cannot have the same level of
power in the interaction. According to Tannen
(1990), power is associated with nonreciprocal
forms of address. A speaker, for example, addresses
another by a title or last name but is addressed by
acquisition, or how young children learn their
native language. In many societies, babies and
toddlers spend more time with female nannies, so
early language is often initially mimicked by a
female speaker.
 Women tend to use language more relationally, or
in the context of close relationships with others.
Women also tend to have a wider range of
emotional vocabulary, using language more readily
to describe their feelings and emotional states.
 Men, on the other hand, tend to use language more
assertively and are more likely to suppress, or hold
back, their emotions. As a result, men tend to not
express their emotions through language.
LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL RELATIONS
By Group 2
LANGUAGE
- is one of the primary tool we use to
communicate and interact with others.
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SOCIAL RELATIONS
- is defined as any relationship or interaction
between two ar more individuals

SPEECH COMMUNITIES
WHAT IS SPEECH COMMUNITIES?
- Are group of people who share a common
language or dialect and communicate with one
another using similar linguistic patterns.

- These communities can be defined based on

various factors, such as geographical location,
ethnicity, occupation, social class, or even
shared interests.

- Play a crucial role in shaping and influencing

language use and variation.
- It contributes to the development of evolution
of language by incorporating new words.
SOCIAL CIRCLE AND LANGUAGE
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF SOCIAL CIRCLE?
- The definition of a social circle is a group of
people who are socially connected. It may be a
group of friends who hang out together. But
your social contacts within your wider social
circle may not necessarily know one another.

WHAT IS SOCIAL CIRCLE IN COMMUNICATION?

- A social circle has been defined as two or more
people who interact with one another, share
similar characteristics, and collectively have a
sense of unity.

What is a social understanding of language?

Pragmatics - refers to the social use of language.
This is how we choose to use language in a
conversation or situation to express meaning,
feelings and emotion. This can be done through
both verbal and non-verbal communication.

What is the circle of social interaction?

- A social circle is a group of people that you

usually surround yourself with. It can be friends,
neighbours, classmates or colleagues. The
people from your social circle don't necessarily
have to know each other and may be from
different aspects of your life.
John Lyons (1970: 326)
- defines that speech community refers to all
people who use a given language (or dialect).

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE SPEECH COMMUNITIES

 Expressions
 Grammatical Structures
 Dialects
 Language Varieties
How does social class affect language learning?
- More-highly educated speakers and,
often, those belonging to a higher social class
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tend to use more features belonging to the
standard language, whereas the original dialect
of the region is better preserved in the speech
of the lower and less-educated classes.
How does social status affect language
development?
- Across languages and language groups, people
with more access to education tend to use more
formal language, proper grammar, and complex
vocabulary than people from lower
socioeconomic backgrounds. Accents and types
of slang can also vary depending on
socioeconomic status.
How does social class affect language?
- People from different social classes speak the
same language differently. For example, people
from the lower socioeconomic class often mix
slang words with proper English, while people
from the upper middle class speak a more
standardized and formal version of the language
What is the social importance of language?
- As humans are inherently social beings, this
need for communication will never die out.
Language helps us to communicate with people
who can speak the same language, through
conventionalized vocal sounds and structures
that allow us to understand each other.
POWER SOLIDARITY
- Language is delineated as “a social practice”
(Fowler 61), by which power relations are
established and sustained. This supports
Fairclough’s (1989) view that power is not only
built and sustained via coercive means (by
force), but also via indirect ways (the use of
language).
- According to linguist Shân Wareing (1999), there
are three main types of power
Political power - power held by people with
authority, such as politicians and the police.
Personal power - power based on an individual’s
occupation or role in society. For example, a
headteacher would likely hold more power than a
teaching assistant.
Social group power - power held by a group of
people due to certain social factors, such as class,
ethnicity, gender, or age.
LANGUAGE AND GENDER
- The language and gender refers to the
interaction between masculine and feminine
languages. Gender differences are reflected in
both men and women’s speeches as well as in
how they live their lives and how they view the
world.
- Gender variations in language use become
apparent at a young age boys are more likely to
use language to describe things and
occurrences while girls are more likely to use
language in the context of emotional
relationships with others.
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE IDENTITY
LET'S DEFINE WHAT IS LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
IDENTITY
- Language is a fundamental to cultural identity,
language is intrinsic to the expression of culture
as a means of communicating
 VALUES
 BELIEFS
 IDENTITY
 MUSIC
 WISDOM
- It has an important social function and fosters
feelings of group identity and solidarity and it is
a carrier of history, traditions, costumes and
folklore from one generation to another.
- It is the means by which culture and its
traditions and shared may be conveyed and
preserved.
WHY LANGUAGE IS IMPORTANT?
- Language is important in one community; It is
the way by which people communicate with one
another also it can build relationships and
create a sense of community.
Speech Community
- A speech community is a group of people who
share a set of linguistic norms and expectations
regarding the use of language.
Example:
- In Tarlac, one of the prominent speech
communities is the Kapampangan-speaking
community.
WHAT IS LINGUISTIC NORMS?
- Linguistic norms are the established rules and
conventions that govern language use in
community.
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Example: party, and as a reference applied to the

judgement of the other party's behaviour.
- is how people interact to the same local
community, where people share a language like Example: Filipinos still smiles despite the calamity
for instance House, School or work etc. they are facing.

Example: Filipinos known for being “magalang” or

What is Cultural Identity? for being polite.

CULTURAL IDENTITY

- The definition of groups or individuals by LINGUISTIC NATIONALISM

themselves or others in terms of cultural or
- A dominant culture's use of language to exercise
subcultural categories.
it's dominance, the use of linguistics to support
Including: nationalism ideologies.

 ETHNICITY Example:
 NATIONALITY
- A group of ofw who still speak Tagalog even
 LANGUAGE
though they are in another country.
 RELIGION
 GENDER

ETHNICITY - a group of people who share cultural

identity or heritage

NATIONALITY - the status of belonging to a particular

nation

LANGUAGE - the principal method of human

communication

RELIGION - is a set of organized beliefs who believes in

god or gods

GENDER - refers to the characteristics of women, men,

girls and boys that socially constructed

Example:

- People can express their cultural identity by

wearing their traditional dress.

WHAT IS STEREOTYPING?

- In stereotyping, this is framed in terms of

difference or otherness
Example:
- All elderly people are technologically
illiterate.

CULTURAL STEREOTYPES

- Cultural/national stereotypes are both

descriptive and prescriptive in nature: they are
perceives shared belief about the characteristics
of the target group and at the same time they
also as social expectations.
- In initial interactions and in solitary intercultural
people's national or cultural stereotypes may be
used as a source of expectation about the other
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