Sociolect vs Idiolect

Many factors in our lives influence our speech, and these factors usually extend far beyond geographical location and native tongue.

Different situations, times, environments, and social backgrounds all help to create varieties in language. Because of this, no two people talk in the same way.

So, why exactly do we all speak differently? What factors contribute to these distinctions? And how do we categorize the different varieties?

Sociolects and idiolects: definition

To answer these questions, we need to look closer at sociolects and idiolects. Sociolects and idiolects are influenced by social and environmental factors and are formed through the passive acquisition and active learning of certain vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar.

In short:

This article will discuss sociolects and idiolects and highlight the key differences between the two varieties.

Importance of sociolects in linguistics

In linguistics, a sociolect is a language variety spoken by a particular social group or social class. The term sociolect is a combination of the words 'social' and 'dialect'.

Sociolects typically develop among groups of people who share the same social environments or backgrounds.

Social factors that influence sociolects include socioeconomic status, age, occupation, and gender.

Let's take a close look at each one of these factors:

Socioeconomic status

This typically refers to a person's class. According to a recent survey, there are now seven social classes in the UK:

The language someone uses will likely differ greatly depending on their socioeconomic status. This can all be linked to the education they received, the people they choose to spend time with (or can afford to spend time with), the job they do, and the income they make.

Age

New words are added to the dictionary every year, and many words that were once common fall out of use. This is because language is constantly changing.

These changes are often apparent when we examine the different sociolects across ages. Think about your grandparents or someone significantly older than you.

Do you think they would understand if you told them that the email they received looked suss (suspect/suspicious)? What do you think they would say if you said their outfit was cheugy?

Occupation

This factor is about the jobs we do. As we learn and develop skills for specific jobs, we also pick up lots of new vocabulary along the way.

Take a computer programmer, for example. They probably know and use a lot of technical 'jargon' that a neurosurgeon wouldn't understand, and vice-versa.

Consider the term 'garbage collection': for most people, this makes us think of the day our rubbish is collected. However, for a computer programmer, this refers to a form of online automatic memory management.

Gender

This factor is a little more controversial than the others as there is a lot of conflicting research around the differences in men and women's speech. Some researchers suggest that it is due to genetics, whereas others state that women's lower status in society has impacted their speech.

However, some studies have found that women tend to be more polite and expressive, and men tend to be more direct.

Further studies have shown that men use more swear words, and women are more likely to use 'caretaker speech' as they are often the primary caregivers.

To summarise: a sociolect is a variety of language unique to a social group.

It is important to remember that most people will use several different sociolects throughout their lives. Our speech will likely change depending on who we talk to and where we are. Think about how your vocabulary differs from when you're at work compared to hanging out with your friends.

Fig. 1 - Age is one of many social factors that will influence a person's language use.

Sociolect vs dialect

As you're reading this, you might be wondering where the term dialect fits in. Let's go ahead and clear up any confusion you may have.

In the UK, dialects typically vary from region to region and often have different pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary than standard English. Common UK dialects include Geordie (found in Newcastle), Scouse (found in Liverpool), and Cockney (found in London).

Answers:

'New webs' = 'New trainers' in Scouse

'Giz a deek' = 'Let's have a look' in Geordie

'Rosie Lee' = 'Cup of tea' in Cockney rhyming slang

Example of sociolect

Although Marley was an English speaker, linguists state that he sang in Jamaican Patois. This is a sociolect that borrows from English and West African tongues and is often associated with the lower rural classes.

In Patois, Marley's song title roughly translates to 'Woman, don't cry'. However, it has long been misunderstood by those unaware of the sociolect to mean something like 'if there's no woman, there's no reason to cry'.

Idiolects are uniquely personal and constantly change and develop as individuals move through life.

Idiolects are dependent on social factors (just like sociolects), current environments, education, friendship groups, hobbies and interests, and so much more. In fact, your idiolect is directly influenced by almost every aspect of your life.

Much like sociolects, each individual utilises different idiolects in accordance with their environment, choosing which version of their language they deem most appropriate.

Idiolect examples

As idiolects are so personal, it's pretty tricky to give any examples. So, let's try a short exercise instead.

Imagine the following scenarios and consider how each situation could affect your idiolect:

To summarize, your idiolect is your individual use of language.

Differences between sociolect vs idiolect

Here is a handy table highlighting the differences and similarities between sociolects and idiolects: