Sociolinguistics
Courses Degree in Applied Languages
Sociolinguistics is a branch of linguistics that studies the relationship between verbal language and their contexts of use (socio-cultural, interactive and interlocutory contexts). Taking as its subject the communication competence, this course unit highlights and contrasts 3 main analytical guidelines:
(i) the analysis of the use of social-communicative codes in the Ethnography of Communication;
(ii) the perspective of social change (William Labov);
(iii) the analysis of the interactional perspective - considering language actional dimension, the illocutionary theory and the discursive functioning of illocutionary acts, the analysis of discourse sequences, the theory of the faces and the system of politeness of Brown and Levinson, the treatment forms (social deixis) and politeness forms.
(i) Distinguishing linguistic competence from communication competence;
(ii) Distinguishing sentence from statement;
(iii) Understanding basic elements of the Linguistics System and comparing it with the Linguistics of Use/System Functioning;
(iv) Mastering the relations among Lexicon, Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics.
The course unit program aims at:
(i) Understanding different theoretical models that fall within the scope of sociolinguistics;
(ii) Understanding the ritualization of discursive practices;
(iii) Analysing the relationship between parameters of the communication and speech produced;
(iv) Establishing relations between treatment forms and use contexts;
(v) Identifying different illocutionary values;
(vi) Distinguishing strategies of negative and positive politeness strategies in different interactional contexts;
(vii) Studying the interpretive process, taking into account the interactional framework established by the speaker and the addressee;
(viii) Understanding the relations between discursive practices and specific variables related to gender, age and socio-professional groups.
Marques, Maria Emília Ricardo (1995), Sociolinguística, Lisboa, Universidade Aberta.
Complementary readings:
Coulmas, Florian (ed.), (1997), The handbook of sociolinguistics, Oxford, Basil Blackwell.
Fonseca, J. (Org.), 1998, A organização e o funcionamento dos discursos. Estudos sobre o Português, Tomo I, II, III, Porto, Porto Editora (Colecção Linguística da Porto Editora, nº. 8, 9, 10).
Goody, E. (ed.) (1978) Questions and politeness, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press;
Mateus, M. H. et al., [1983/2003], Gramática da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa, Caminho, 5ª. edição revista e aumentada de 2003.
E-learning.
The mandatory evaluation method is continuous assessment.
Continuous Assessment:
– 40%: work carried out throughout the semester, corresponding to two e-Folios (e-Folio A and e-Folio B), submitted via the virtual classroom.
– 60%: Completion of a final written assignment, referred to as the e-Folio Global.
Students are required to have access to a computer with Internet broadband connection.