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

• sociolinguist noun
• sociolinguistic adjective
• sociolinguistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of sociolinguistics

First recorded in 1935–40; socio- + linguistics

Example Sentences

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

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

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

"It clearly shows that there is a pattern of attack on symbols associated with Muslims," says Rizwan Ahmad, professor of sociolinguistics at Qatar University.

From BBC

Kelly Wright, who studies experimental sociolinguistics at the University of Michigan, said, “Word choice matters because words have history.”

From New York Times