Contemporary Sociolinguistics Linguistic & Literary Studies in Eastern Europe (Llsee)
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CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLINGUISTICS LINGUISTIC & LITERARY STUDIES IN EASTERN EUROPE (LLSEE) The emphasis of this scholarly series is on recent developments in Linguistic and Literary Research in Eastern Europe; it includes analysis, translations and syntheses of current research as well as studies in the history of linguistic and literary scholarship. Founding Editor: John Odmark † General Editor: Philip A. Luelsdorff Volume 15 A.D. Švejcer Contemporary Sociolinguistics Theory, Problems, Methods CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLINGUISTICS THEORY, PROBLEMS, METHODS by A.D. ŠVEJCER JOHN BENJAMINS PUBLISHING COMPANY AMSTERDAM/PHILADELPHIA 1986 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Shveǐtser, A.D. (Aleksandr Davidovich) Contemporary sociolinguistics. (Linguistic & literary studies in Eastern Europe (LLSEE), ISSN 0165-7712; v. 15) Translation of: Sovremennaia sotsiolingvistika. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Sociolinguistics. I. Title. II. Series. P40.S4813 1986 401'.9 86-3555 ISBN 90 272 1519 7 (alk. paper) © Copyright 1986 - John Benjamins B.V. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, or any other means, without written permission from the publisher. PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION I am writing this preface in a dual capacity: as the author of the book and as its translator into English. The original publication entitled Sovremennaja sociolingvistika. Teorija, problemy i metody (Moscow: Nauka) appeared in 1976. The translation in all essentials faithfully reproduces the original text. In working on the translation, however, I deemed it necessary to add to the book a bibliographic index, an index of names and an index of subjects. Also, as the author, I could not resist the temptation of somewhat updating the text. The refore, some publications which have appeared since 1976 have been included in the bibliography and referred to in the text. I have likewise replaced some illustrative examples, totally untranslatable into English, by examples from Eng lish sources. The relatively young age of sociolinguistics has, fortunately, prevented this discipline from becoming too rigid. In touching upon its complex and multidi mensional problems far be it from me to lay any claim to their final solution. My only hope is to stimulate some further thinking and thus promote a further discussion. A. D. Švejcer CONTENTS Preface to the English edition V Contents VII Introduction 1 Chapter I: Philosophical Foundations of Contemporary Socio- linguistics 5 1. Marxist Sociology and Sociolinguistic Theory 5 2. Behaviouristic Model of Speech Behaviour 8 3. Social Anthropology and Sociolinguistics 13 4. The Theory of Isomorphism of Linguistics and Sociocultural Sy stems 23 5. Symbolic-Interactionist Sociology and its Influence on Socio linguistics 33 6. Ethnomethodology and its Relation to Sociolinguistics 38 7. Sociolinguistics and Generative Grammar 44 Chapter II: Theoretical Problems of Sociolinguistics 51 1. The Subject-Matter of Sociolinguistics 51 2. On the Conceptual Framework of Sociolinguistics 63 3. Sociolinguistics and Semiotics 78 4. Sociolinguistics and Stylistics 91 Chapter III: Some Problems of Sociolinguistics 16 1. Bilingualism and Diglossia 106 2. Typology of Language Situations 123 3. Language Policy and Language Engineering 137 Chapter IV: Methods of Sociolinguistics Studies 148 1. Methods of Obtaining Sociolinguistic Data 148 2. Methods of Sociolinguistic Analysis 156 References 169 Index of Names 185 Index of Subjects 191 INTRODUCTION As early as the mid-60s sociolinguistic studies made considerable headway in many countries of the world. Recent years have seen a still more rapid develop ment of this discipline. There has been a sizeable increase in the number of monographs, readers, conferences and symposia discussing both the general theoretical problems of sociolinguistics and some of its aspects. Problems of so- ciolinguistics figured prominently both at the 11th International Linguistic Congress (Bologna, 1972) and at the 8th World Sociological Congress (Toronto, 1974). At the same time there have also been qualitative changes in the develop ment of sociolinguistics. While in 1967 the well-known American linguist W. Bright, the editor of Language, wrote that sociolinguistics had experienced a rapid growth but at the same time was still in its infancy (Bright 1967, 185), now there is every reason to claim that sociolinguistics is coming of age. The present stage in the development of this trend is characterized by the abandon ment of purely descriptive studies, as well as accidental and fragmentary ob servations, and by the elaboration of a systemic approach to data and truly inter disciplinary studies based on an organic blend of linguistic and sociological methods applied at a high professional level (Fishman 1971b, 10). This does not mean, of course, that sociolinguistics has passed its formative stage. Heated debates are still going on about the subject-matter of socio linguistics. A number of fundamental problems have not been resolved, among them the nature of causal relationships between social and linguistic phenomena. Even the conceptual framework of sociolinguistics is still in the stage of elabor ation. There is no unanimity in the interpretation of many basic concepts. And yet it should be recognized that in many countries of the world sociolinguistics has been gaining respectability. An increasing number of scholars, not content with the narrow structuralist approach to linguistic analysis, go beyond "micro- linguistic" studies in an effort to explore language in its social context. The development of sociolinguistics and the resultant inclusion of the social dimen sion in linguistic analysis make it possible to gain deeper insights into the very nature of language and to reveal more fully the conditions of its functioning and the dynamics of its development, thus casting new light on the ontological pic ture of language as a social phenomenon. 2 CONTEMPORARY SOCTOLINGUISTICS As distinct from some countries where sociolinguistics actually started from scratch, the revival of interest in sociolinguistic problems in our country was, in fact, the renewal and continuation of a tradition going back to the earli est period in the history of Soviet linguistics when E. D. Polivanov, V. M. Žirmunskij, B. A. Larin, M. V. Sergievskij, L. P. Jakubinskij, K. N. Deržavin and other promin ent Soviet linguists laid the foundation of a new trend which became, in the words of M. M. Guxman, "the first experiment in developing a Marxist socio linguistics" (Guxman 1972). Soviet linguists are still pioneering the study of the fundamental problems of sociolinguistics, in the perfection of its theoretical apparatus, in raising new basic issues and in exploring many topical sociolinguistic problems. Taking a Marxist view of the links between language and society, Soviet scholars have made a number of major contributions to sociolinguistics (Desnickaja 1969; Dešeriev 1969a,b;Avrorin 1975;Nikolsky 1976;Krysin & Šmelev 1976; Dešeriev 1977;Beloded 1977; Jarceva & Guxman 1977;Nikolsky 1977, etc.). At the same time Soviet scholars are following with keen interest the develop ment of sociolinguistics abroad. In evaluating the studies of foreign sociolinguists in terms of Marxist sociology, they criticize whatever is basically unacceptable to them, and, at the same time, seek to utilize the achievements of foreign science which promote the further progress of sociolinguistics, the elaboration of its theory and methods, and the study of its problems. Different as they are in their initial philosophical positions, various socio linguistics schools in many countries of the world supplement each other in a number of respects. The focal areas of studies in various countries include, as a rule, different so ciolinguistic problems and different aspects of these problems. This, in turn, could not fail to determine the theoretical interests of sociolinguists in these countries. It is no coincidence, therefore, that the most vital sociolinguistic problems for the U.S.S.R. have always been the problems of multilingualism and bilingualism, the relationship between ethnic languages and the language of inter- ethnic communication, linguistic engineering, and language policy. At the same time for a number of western countries problems of the social stratification of language are of paramount importance, while for the sociolinguists of the deve loping countries the major problems are those involved in the formation and development of national literary languages, the choice of a language as a medium of nationwide communication. INTRODUCTION 3 At the same time, there is unquestionalby a "common core" of sociolinguistic theory and problems. This includes, above all, basic problems of a general phi losophical character involved in the definition of the initial premises of socio linguistic theory. There is a considerable overlap between the problem of language in society and the problem of language and thought. This necessitates the con certed elaboration of these fundamental philosophical problems of linguistics. Sociolinguistic theory is being developed at the crossroads of linguistics, on the one hand, and sociology, sociopsychology and ethnography, on the other. Therefore, to develop successfully sociolinguistics must choose a proper socio- psyetiological and ethnographic orientation. The "common core" of different sociolinguistic schools includes also a num ber of theoretical problems involved