LOYOLA COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), CHENNAI – 600 034

NM 48

M.A. DEGREE EXAMINATION – ENGLISH LITERATURE

FOURTH SEMESTER – April 2009

EL 4953 – SOCIOLINGUISTICS & DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

 

 

 

Date & Time: 25/04/2009 / 9:00 – 12:00      Dept. No.                                                          Max. : 100 Marks

 

 

PART-A

1. Write notes on ANY FOUR of the following in not more than 75 words  (4×5=20 marks)

 

1. Define language from the perspective of sociology.
2. Explain culture from the perspective of sociolinguistics.
3. What are speech communities?
4. How does religion influence one’s language?
5. Explain the terms ‘idiolect’ and ‘sociolect’.

 

 

II Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 400 words each               (2×15=30 marks)

 

1. Explain speech as a social interaction.
2. Examine the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in the context of language and thought.
3. How does the ethnography of communication help to determine the result of

communication in any discourse? Illustrate with examples.

 

     PART- B

1. Write short notes on ANY FOUR of the following (4×5= 20 marks)

 

1. Registers.
2. Dialects and accents.
3. Accuracy vs. fluency.
4. The importance of Sociolinguistics today.
5. Creolization.

 

1. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 400 words each (2x 15 = 30 marks)

 

1. How do the concepts of lexical patterning and lexical choice operate in the

usage of language among its users?

2. What factors determine the differences in English language among its users as

regards the choice of lexis, grammar and accent?

3. Explain the concept of language and inequality in terms of subjective, strictly

linguistic and communicative aspects.

 

 

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