INTRODUCTION
In this unit, you will be taken through how Sociolinguistics relates to other disciplines, which study human behaviour in relation to the society. It has been established that language is a form of behaviour. Thus, every discipline that has to do with human behaviour in the society shares some things in common with Sociolinguistics. However, we have identified four disciplines that are closely related to Sociolinguistics. We shall examine the extent of the relationships and the points of divergences. The disciplines we shall be examining are Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology and Education.
3.1 Sociolinguistics and Sociology
Sociolinguistics has a lot in common with Sociology. Sociology, according to Giddens (1989) “is the study of human social life, groups and societies. It is a dazzling and compelling enterprise, having as its subject matter our own behaviour as social beings. The scope of sociology is extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between individuals in the street up to the investigation of world-wide social processes". Sociolinguistics, on the other hand, is the study of human language but from the point of view of its impact on social life in a given society.
Sociolinguists attempt to isolate the linguistic features used in particular situations that mark the various social relationships among the participants and the significant elements of the situation. Factors influencing the choice of sounds, grammatical elements, and vocabulary may include age, gender, education, ethnic identity, occupation, and peer-group identification. So, the meeting point is the focus on the human institution and how what humans do in the society, and how the society constrains human behaviour.
To the end that Sociolinguistics and Sociology study the same phenomenon, they also have the same approach to their study. The two disciplines often rely on quantitative and qualitative methods of social research to describe patterns in social relationships. Quantitative methods include the use of statistics, while qualitative methods involve the use of focus group interviews, group discussions and ethnographic methods. All these allow for a better understanding of social processes.
One strong link between Sociolinguistics and Sociology is Ethno- methodology, a sociological discipline which focuses on the ways in which people make sense of their world, display this understanding to others, and produce the mutually shared social order in which they live. The term was initially coined by Harold Grafinkel to describe the methods by which the social order is produced and shared. The approach of Ethno-methodologists just like Sociologists is field methods, which makes the researcher to conduct his/her research by being a participant observer in the community he/she is investigating. This is also used in Sociolinguistic research.
The results of sociolinguistic and sociological research aid educators, lawmakers, administrators, and others interested in resolving social problems and formulating public policy.
3.2 Sociolinguistics and Psychology
Psychology, just like Sociology, can be said to belong to the Human or Social Sciences. It is the scientific study of human and animal behaviour and mental processes. It relates to Sociolinguistics in the sense that it is concerned with the study of human behaviour – particularly with reference to the human mind. Language takes its source from the mind, because it is what the mind perceives that finally comes out as language (spoken, written or gesture). Psychology is however different from Sociolinguistics because it also studies animal behaviour in addition to that of man. Sociolinguistics is purely concerned with human behaviour as they use language in the society.
There is an aspect of Psychology that is concerned with human behaviour and that is Social Psychology. Social Psychology is the science that studies individual beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors in settings where other people are present. So the focus in Social Psychology is the individual within the group, rather than the individual in isolation. Sociolinguistics may study both the speech of an individual in the society and that of a group of individuals also in the society.
Just like other social sciences, the method of inquiry is scientific and the data may be qualitative or quantitative. The goal of Psychology is similar to that of Sociolinguistics. They both study human behaviour with a view to be able to explain why humans behave the way they do. To this extent, any finding from these two disciplines can be relevant for public policy makers.
3.3 Sociolinguistics and Anthropology
Sociolinguistics equally shares something in common with Anthropology–the study of the races, physical and mental characteristics, distribution, customs, social relationships etc., of humankind, its study is often restricted to the institutions, myths, etc. of primitive peoples.
Anthropology is closely related to Sociology because it also studies aspects of human life (customs, beliefs, social relations, myths, etc.), which govern their behaviour.
Two fields have grown out of the close relationship between Linguistics and Anthropology–Anthropological Linguistics, which is the study of the relationship between language and culture. In the United States this close relationship between Anthropology and Linguistics developed as a result of research by anthropologists into the American Indian culture and language. This discipline strongly overlaps, but is somehow different from Linguistic Anthropology, which is the branch of anthropology that studies humans through the languages that they use.
3.4 Sociolinguistics and Education
Sociolinguistics also shares a lot in common with Education in the area of language learning, especially, when language is learnt formally in schools. This therefore links language with schooling. Some of the areas of concern of sociolinguists in Education are: the role of mother tongue in education, how attitudes of the learners affect their learning in the language classroom, and so forth. Sociolinguists play significant roles in the designing of curriculum on languages and policy on language in education, especially in bilingual/multilingual educational setting. Since education is an integral aspect of human experience, and an agent of development of humans, the sociolinguist will naturally be interested in it.
SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE
Arrange for a discussion with students studying Sociology and Anthropology, Psychology, and Education. Discuss with them and find out the relationship between language and their disciplines. Document your observations and findings.
4.0 CONCLUSION
Sociolinguistics is a discipline that has a lot to do with other disciplines that concentrates on studying human behaviour in the society. The inter- relationships between these disciplines have been clearly shown in this unit.
5.0 SUMMARY
In this unit, we examined how Sociolinguistics is related to other disciplines in terms of the object of their study – the human social life. Specifically we looked at how Sociolinguistics relates with Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology and Education. Due to these relationships, some new disciplines have emerged.
6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT
1. How does Sociolinguistics relate with Sociology?
2. What is the difference between Anthropological Linguistics and Linguistic Anthropology?
3. Discuss the aspects of Sociolinguistics that relate to education.
7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READING
Alatis, J.E. (1985). Perspectives on Bilingualism and Bilingual Education. Georgetown University Press.
Bell, R. (1976). Sociolinguistics, Goals, Approaches and Problems. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd.
Coulmas, F. (Ed.). (1998). The Handbook on Sociolinguistics. Blackwell Publishers.
Giddens, A. (1989). Sociology. Cambridge: Polity.
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