Browse Hierarchy LIN7002: Sociolinguistic Theory

The field of sociolinguistics has seen the parallel development of a number of theories of how language relates to, and is embedded in, society. Some of these developments have been mutually reinforcing or complementary, while others have raised questions and debates over the nature of social variation in language. This course reviews the major 'lineages' of thinking in sociolinguistics, covering theories that have formed the foundation of both quantitative and qualitative approaches sociolinguistics. With a focus on the former, the course will require students to read classic texts from early sociolinguistic theory (developed in William Labov's early work and parallel strands of thought from the same period) and then trace the development of distinct 'waves' of thinking and analysis in subsequent decades. On the qualitative side, the course will cover selected classic works from social theory, and literary and cultural theory that have been influential in sociolinguists' thinking about social structure and variation (e.g. Bourdieu, Bakhtin). Overall, the course will provide students with an advanced foundational knowledge of major developments in sociolinguistic thought over the past half century.