Week 9 - Social networks and communities of practice Flashcards
What are some issues with social class?
- Stereotypes
- Discrepancies, such as educated by not wealthy students
- Women and children rated by husband/father
What does a social network do?
- Enforces norms of behaviour
- How deep we are in the network affects how much we adhere to the norms
- Studies variation between speakers rather than social categories
Who studied social networks?
Names
Dates
Milroy 1980
Cheshire 1982
Labov 1972
Where did Milroy’s study take place?
Details
Ireland
Clonard: Men high unemployment, women working with more social networks, young women high vernacular
Hammer: Population being dispersed, diff. less extreme between sexes
Ballymacarrat: Traditional, men close-knit groups and high vernacular, women less dense
What are the 5 aspects of Milroy’s Network Strength Scale?
Date
2002
- Membership of dense territorial group
- Kinship ties within the neighbourhood
- Same workplace as 2 others in the neighbourhood
- Same workplace as 2 others of same gender
- Voluntary association with workmates outside
Where did Cheshire’s study take place?
Details
Playground in Reading
- Frequency of use of vernacular
- Some non-standard features are universal between the sexes, some mark gender
- Peer group pressure
- Integration = vernacular
Where did Labov’s study take place?
Details
Harlem gangs
- Lames vs rival gangs
- Gangs have similar patterns, AAVE, rivals but share values
- Lames use less vernacular, outsiders
- Investigated -ing, question inversion
What are the effects of strong networks on language variation and change?
- Strong networks maintain non-standard or majority
- Localised forms supported
What are the effects of weak networks on language variation and change?
- Weak networks more susceptible to change
- Innovators have weak ties and link close knit groups to each other
Define communities of practice
Names
Date
Eckert and McConnell-Ginet 2002
- An aggregate of people who come together around a mutual engagement in an endeavour, practices emerge during these endeavour
Why are communities of practice and social networks different?
Name
Date
- Communities of practice get meaning beyond dense networks
- Membership of communities of practice is conscious
Meyerhoff 2002
Who studied high school girls?
Name
Date
Details
Moore 2004
Bolton, UK
- 4 different groups of girls
- Each group used non-standard were differently
Who studied jocks and burnouts?
Name
Date
Details
Eckert 1989
Detroit
- Gender differences within groups
- Men and women establish social status in different ways
- Shared evaluation of norms
- Jocks = school is centre of life
- Burnouts = dismissive, urban area orientated
- Boys are freer than girls
Define drag shift
One sound moves from its original place, and leaves a gap which an existing sound will fill
Define push shift
One sound moves into the territory of another and the original moves away before the two sounds merge into one
