sociolinguistics

American  

[soh-see-oh-ling-gwis-tiks, soh-shee-] / ˌsoʊ si oʊ lɪŋˈgwɪs tɪks, ˌsoʊ ʃi- /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the study of language as it functions in society; the study of the interaction between linguistic and social variables.

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sociolinguistics British  

/ ˌsəʊsɪəʊlɪŋˈɡwɪstɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the study of language in relation to its social context

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sociolinguistic
  adjective
• sociolinguist
  noun
• sociolinguistically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of sociolinguistics

First recorded in 1935–40; socio- + linguistics

Example Sentences

According to sociolinguistics expert Dr Amanda Cole, experiences like Beth's are down to a prejudice called accent bias.

From BBC • Jan. 19, 2025

Existing work from sociolinguistics showed that the social prestige of a language was considered the main factor leading to its extinction or survival.

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2023

So I reached out to Dr. Ronnie Collins, Sr., a Coppin State University professor who has studied sociolinguistics for more than 30 years, for some scholarly insights on accent erasure.

From Salon • Sep. 2, 2022

So it hired a sociolinguistics expert from the University of Washington to explain the language varieties that Microsoft needed to know about.

From New York Times • Jun. 21, 2022

Dr. Kannapell received a bachelor’s degree in deaf education from Gallaudet in 1961, a master’s degree in educational technology from Catholic University in 1970 and a PhD in sociolinguistics from Georgetown University in 1985.

From Washington Post • Aug. 27, 2021