Posted by Never stop
to learn on March 19, 2016
Introduction
A discussion of language in social context is focussed on a
language acquisition and language learning, significance of language in a
community, and relation of language and society. The language acquisition is
differentiated from the language learning. The former is unconsciously
conducted by a language user, whereas the latter is consciously conducted by a
language user. The significance of language in a community is viewed from the
viewpoint of its importance in a community; and it is discussed in relation to
the three inseparable elements in a community: human being, community, and
language.
Human Beings and
Language
Man is a social being who always needs another’s help. It is
hardly imagined that he is able to live alone in a forest without being
accompanied by another. In reality, he lives together and cooperates between
one and another. Thus, we may agree that human being is a social creature
because he has to live a community.
In the effort to fulfill his daily need, he has to work together
between one and another. This cooperation can only be conducted in a community.
When he needs rice, for instance, he is not necessary to plant in a field by
himself. Rice planting is the farmers’ business. Someone who needs rice, he can
buy it.
Based
on the example above, we have a clear picture that all the members of a
community need help from one to another. They cannot live alone and try to
fulfill their daily need such as food and clothes by themselves. This is to say
that they need working together.
The
cooperation among the members of a social group will run well if a a means of
communication known as language is used. By using
a language man can express his ideas and wishes to other people such as when he
needs their help. There will be a close cooperation among members of the group.
The
three elements mentioned above; human beings, community, and language are
closely related to each other. When there are human beings in any part of the
world, there will be a social community in which the same members of the group
use a given language as a means of communication. The existence of a language
for the community is very important. This is because, in reality, men as social
beings always live in a community and need a language as a means of interaction
among them.
In the social context, language is not only a means of
communication but also it is a means of creating and maintaining social relationship
among speakers of the language. As an illustration, take an example, there are
two persons in the waiting room of railway station. At first, they do not know
one and another. They, then, begin to make a talk to avoid their boredom. They
talk many things. They give information to one and another. This is
the function of the language as a means of communication and at the same time
as a means of creating social relationship.
If they are from the different social and geographical backgrounds, they will use different dialects. Here, we
have what we call social dialect and
geographical dialect (Trudgill,1983:14). For instance, if one
of them is someone speaking Indonesian language, who is
from North Sumatra, willprobably use Indonesian language
with a certain accent spoken by people from that part of
the country; and the other will probably use the other dialect (Betawi dialect)
if he is from Betawi..
Other than the regional dialect, there is a social dialect. This
kind of dialect refers to a veriety of language spoken by a group of people
belonging to a certain social class (Trudgill, 1983:14). For instance, if
someone is a middle-class businessman, he will use the variety of language
associated with men of this type.
Based on an illustration, a language may have some varieties. In
fact, a language itself can be categorized as one of varieties of whatever
human languages. So, it can be said that language varieties may
refer to: (a) two or more distinct languages used in a community, (b) distinct
varieties of one language, and (c) distinct speech levels of one language
The facts shows that there are more than one language existing
and being used in a given speech community. A situation in which there are, at
least, two languages are used is known as a diglossic situation; a person
having mastery of two languages and using them alternately is known as a
bilingual speaker; and the mastery of two (or more) languages by the individual
speaker is known as bilingualism.
People may use different pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, or
styles of a language for different purposes. They may use different dialects of
a language in different contexts. In some communities they will select
different languages according to the situation in which and according to the
persons to whom they speak; they may use distinct speech levels.
Troike and Blackwell (1986) state that the means of
communication used in a community may include different languages, different
regional and social dialects of one or more languages, different register, and
different channels of communication (oral or written).
Furthermore, Troike and Blackwell explain it in a more detailed
description and state that the language use is related to the social
organization of the group, which is likely to include differences in age, sex,
and social status, as well as differences in the relationship between speakers,
their goal of interaction, and the setting in communication takes place. The
communicative repertoire (linguistic repertoire) may also include different occupational
code, specialized religious language, secret codes or various kinds, imitative
speech, whistle or drum of language, and varieties used for talking to
foreigners, young children, and pets (Trioke & Blackwell, 1986 :
51).
Language and Society
A society can be seen from its physical
environment. Our view of physical environment may be conditioned by
our language. In this relation, it can beexplained that
the physical environment in which a society lives can be reflected in its
language, normally in the structure of its lexicon (the way in which
distinctions are made by means of single words). For instance,
English has only one word for snow but Eskimo has
several. For English people, it is not necessary to make distinction of snow because
their physical environment of society does not enable it; there is only kind
of snow in the society. For Eskimos, it is essential to
distinguish one kind of snow from another in individual words. Their physical
environment ‘force’ them to make some names of snow (Trudgill,
1983:26)
If
English people have only one word for rice to refer what the
Javenese people call as pari, gabah, beras dan sega. This
is because both speaking communities have different interests. It is obvious
that the Javanese poeople are necessary to cretae different vocabularies
mentioned above.
Other
than the physical environment, the social environment can also be reflected in
language, and can often have an effect on the structure of the vocabulary
(Trudgill, 1983:27). For example, a society’s kinship system is
generally reflected in its kinship vocabulary. We can say that kin
relationship in Banjare society is important so that there are many kinship
vocabulary such as muyang, muning, waring, anggah, datu, kai, abah, anak,
cucu, buyut, intah, cicit, muning dan muyang. Besides,
there are some words such as: uma, julak, gulu, paman, and acil. Also,
there are some words such as:: ading, laki, bini, ipar, marui dan warang (Suryadikara,
1989).
A
language is used by a man as a means of communication in his effort to interact
one with another. In reality, he is not free from rules of using language
agreed by speech communities in which he lives and interact with the other
members of the community in accordance with the values and the other cultural
aspects. The values of a society, for instance, can have an effect
on its language. The most interesting way in which this happens is through the
phenomenon known as taboo. Taboo can be characterized as being concerned with
behaviour which is believed to be supernaturally forbidden, or regarded as
immoral or improper; it deals with behaviour which is prohibited in an
apparently with behaviour.
Relationship between Language and Society
An
important concept in the discussion of communication is the speech
community. It refers to a group of people who use the same system of
speech signals. Another definition of the speech community is any human
aggregate characterized by means of a shared body of verbal signs and set off
from similar aggregates by significant differences in language use (John T.
Plat and H.K. Plat, 1975: 33).
The relationship between language and the context in which it is
used (Janet Holmes,2001:1). In other words, it studies the relationship between
language and society. It explains why people speak differently in different
social contexts. It discusses the social functions of language and the ways it
is used to convey social meaning. All of the topics provide a lot of
information about the language works, as well as about the social relationships
in a community, and the way people signal aspects of their social identity
through their language.
Ronald Wardhaugh (1986: 10-11) summaries the relationship between
and society. According to him, there are some possible relationships between language and society. A
first one is that, viewed from the participants, social structure may
either influence or determine linguistic structure and/or behaviour. For
instance, in relation to the age-grading phenomenon, whereby young children
speak differently from older children and, in turn, children speak differently
from mature adults. Socially, the participants may have different origins,
either regional, social, or ethnic origins; and, they must met with the particular
ways of speaking, choices of words, and even rules for conversing. This
relationship will be discussed more detailed in the next chapter.
A second possible relationship between language and society is
directly opposed to the first: linguistic structure and/or behaviour may either
influence or determine social structure. This is supported by the Basil
Bernstein’s finding on the use of elaborated and restricted codes. This finding
will be discussed more detailed in the next chapter.
A third possible relationship between language and society is
that language and society may influence each other; this influence is
dialectical in nature. This is to say that speech behaviour and social
behaviour are in a state of constant interaction and that material living
conditions are an important factor in the relationship.
Conclusion
A language is an important thing in a given community, a speech
community. It is not a means for communication and interaction but also for
establishing and maintaining human relationships.
One
characteristic of a language is that is social. That is to say that all speech
events must be in relation to the social aspects. A new-born child acquires a
language in the social environment (family as a part of the speech community).
A language use also occurs in the speech community.
Based
on the geographical area, one community may be different from one to another.
This results in the different varieties of language: dialects. These kinds of
dialects are known as geographical or regional dialects. The fact also shows us
that the members of a community or speech community are in the same social
hierarchy. Consequently, there are also varieties of the same language used by
the different types of the language users. These kinds of language varieties
are known as social dialects.
Exercises
1. Explain why English-Speaking people only have
one word (rice) to refer what Javanese people call pari, gabah, beras, sego, etc.
2. Explain why Banjare-Speaking people only have
some words to refer what Javanese people call as perahu.
3. Mention vocabularies of English-speaking
communities showing their kinship system!
4. Find out some tabooed words both in English
and in your own language
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