160128 SE Sociolinguistic approaches to institutions and their genres (2024W)

In sociolinguistics, institutions are seen as playing a key role in shaping and maintaining linguistic norms, practices, and genres within specific societal contexts, such as legal, educational, govermental, corporate or civil society organisations. This includes both highly formal insitutions (e.g. court rooms, parliament) as well as more informal institutions (such as sports clubs, fan culture). The sociolinguistic view of institutions and their linguistic genres examines how language is used, regulated, and disseminated within institutional settings (e.g., schools, courts, government bodies, corporations, media) and how this usage reflects and reinforces power dynamics, social structures, and identities.

The seminar will cover key points of the sociolinguistic perspective on institutions and their genres:
Language and Power: Institutions often exert control over language use, shaping the linguistic behavior of individuals within their domains. This includes determining what counts as "appropriate" or "standard" language, which reflects and reinforces the power of these institutions.
For example, legal, educational, and corporate institutions establish specific language norms (legalese, academic discourse, corporate jargon) that those within the institution are expected to follow. These norms serve to both include and exclude people from institutional power and decision-making processes.
Linguistic Genres: Linguistic genres refer to the recognizable and socially agreed-upon forms of communication that arise in particular contexts (e.g., academic papers, legal contracts, policy reports, news articles, medical diagnoses). Each genre follows specific conventions related to structure, vocabulary, tone, and formality, reflecting the purposes and functions of the institution in which it operates. For instance, the linguistic genre of a courtroom differs markedly from that of a classroom or a corporate meeting. Genres help define the roles of speakers and listeners (or writers and readers) within the institution. The mastery of these genres often confers authority and legitimacy within institutional settings.

Standardization and Regulation: Many institutions, such as educational and legal systems, play a role in standardizing language use. Schools, for example, are key sites where children learn the "standard" language (often the dominant or prestigious dialect), and other varieties are often devalued or marginalized. Regulation of language within institutions is also evident in professional settings. Institutions such as media organizations and government agencies often establish language policies that dictate what kinds of language are acceptable or unacceptable, shaping public discourse.

Social Identity and Language: Language use within institutions reflects and constructs social identities, such as those related to class, race, gender, and professional status. The ability to navigate institutional linguistic genres successfully often marks individuals as insiders or experts within a given field, while failure to conform can marginalize them as outsiders. For instance, in academic institutions, students and scholars are expected to adopt specific academic genres, and their success in these institutions is often tied to their ability to conform to these linguistic expectations.

Negotiation and Resistance: While institutions often promote dominant language norms, individuals and groups may negotiate or resist these norms in various ways. This can involve the development of alternative linguistic genres or the use of non-standard language varieties to challenge institutional power. For example, social movements or marginalized groups may create new genres (e.g., protest literature, activist social media) to voice their perspectives and resist dominant institutional discourses.