SOCIOLINGUISTIC RESEARCH

Sociolinguistic Research in terms of Three Waves

Sociolinguistic Research in terms of Three Waves

Introduction

In this evaluation of quantitative sociolinguistics work, Eckert classifies the study of sociolinguistic variation in three main categories, or "waves". The first wave is characterized by an extensive study of the patterns of correlation between the social characteristics of the speakers (and writers) and using a set of variable features of language (Eckert, 2010, 13). The second phase of the research includes the study of ethnography and small groups of speakers (and writers) deeper, with more emphasis on local characteristics of speech. The third wave of research into practice and the agency, rather than social structures. Instead of looking for categories that relate to the use of language in the third wave focuses on understanding the style and the construction and negotiation of identity instead of the general patterns of various variable functions. Eckert said that these three waves, and not necessarily in chronological order. Labov (1963, 273) pioneered the first study - Martha's Vineyard, with its deep ethnographic analysis of a small community is considered the second wave, and the second (1966) basic research - major review of English New York - is only seen the first wave.

However, despite the non linear chronology, the three waves of interest in sociolinguistics moves correspond to the third wave-like approaches. The first wave, and to a lesser extent, the second wave, sociolinguistic research seems to fit comfortably in the form of body language. It is in these "waves" of the investigation, we have a strong connection between sociolinguistics and linguistic body of methods and practices, where large quantitative analysis of the corporation is the most useful. However, the approach and methodology of the study appear the third wave of corpus least (and probably have more in common with conversation analysis, Liddicoat (2007, 147) than in the main part of the study) to share.

Discussion

Eckert provides a good summary of an important way to the third wave differs from previous work by the waves, especially the first - the nature of sociolinguistics, the most implementable through corpus methods. As a result, the social significance of the change involves only on the basis of a common understanding of the categories used to select and rank the speakers. There is no doubt that the demographic trend is important. But like a map of New York does not mean that the streets are like, or how to walk on them, making macro-sociological patterns of change did not disclose what the speakers at various places in the socio-economic hierarchy and social to do with these variables.

Moreover, the movement from the study of the structural studies of the practices that the agency in analyzing a recent history of social science and intellectual history of the past in general identified. He does not deny the importance of the structure, but also highlighted the role of structure in limiting the practice and in turn the role of the practice to produce and reproduce the ...