How is our language influenced by the social contexts ? Give two examples.

Question

Question from "Sociolinguistics"

Answer 1

Here are some questions to help you explore the influence of social context on language:

Why do we speak in different ways with different people? (E.g. parent, boss, toddler, waiter, stranger)

How does environment/location play a role in the way we speak? (E.g. on the train, at home, at school, in a church)

How does the situation play a role in the way we speak? (E.g. on a date, at work, birthday party, funeral)

Answer 2

An example I can offer is that a person changes their way of speaking to fit their audience. If I am speaking to people who are still learning English I would keep my sentence structure simple and my word choice more basic. If I were speaking to someone who was a native English speaker I would speak more naturally, with more complex sentences.

Another example is that often with teenagers, they will swear or use slang when speaking to friends as a way to better relate to their peers. While they speak more formally as a way to show respect to teachers or parents.

Hope that helps!