This study aimed to find out the implications of linguistic deviations of swardspeak to the language competencies of the gay students. This research also sought to determine the linguistic deviations in swardspeak used by the gay students; investigate the implications of the use of swardspeak to the language competencies of the students; and…

In order to conduct a sociolinguistic analysis of language acquisition, data were collected on one bilingual child's speech through diary notes and tape recordings made at regular intervals from birth to age 5, with special attention given to contextual information related to each speech event. The child's languages include Spanish, English, and a…

Sociolinguistic attitudes of 160 high school students, 160 parents or other adults, and 40 high school teachers were studied through questionnaires administered in four South Carolina schools. Results indicated that a majority of students and teachers felt that dialect differences interfere with communication in the classroom, but that eradication…

A study was conducted to examine plain language legislation in the 50 states and to evaluate the progress made in simplifying government regulations as a result of President Carter's executive order mandating the use of clear language in regulations. In the first part of the study, laws and bills relating to plain language in consumer contracts…

This study examines linguistic form and communication style in working-class and middle-class black preachers of two types: those who are not seminary trained, who preach spontaneously, and those who are seminary trained, who read from a prepared text. Ten sermons were tape-recorded in natural settings at two churches in Washington, D.C. Analyses…

The studies reported here constitute part of a project on language development and social influence. The question of what to do to obtain a linguistic development that is not retarded by an unfavorable environment is discussed, relative to different value systems. In the first three chapters a theoretical background is given in which…

The major purpose of this study was to contrast the responses of three groups of subjects to a language attitude questionnaire focusing on non-mainstream language patterns. The three groups were writers in the area of sociolinguistics, students who were enrolled in an experimental sociolinguistic-oriented instructional module, and students…

Intonation patterns of Black English were studied and compared with those occurring in White English and formal Black English. It was found that: (1) the Black English corpus was characterized by a wider pitch range, extending into higher pitch levels than either the White vernacular or the formal Black English of the adult information; (2) a…

To determine whether black children who speak a nonstandard dialect have difficulty in spelling because of the dialect features of their vocabulary, spelling tests were administered to 66 black English-speaking children in the first, second, and third grades. The results indicated that children who spoke black dialect exhibited spelling…

The basic premise in the study of the mass media and media credibility was that the medium is a major factor in the determination of the credibility of information by receivers. Relationships between media credibility and sociolinguistic theory were explored, and the factor analysis was used to organize patterns of perception of media credibility…

This dissertation examined the acquisition and development of children's social/symbolic and strategic communication abilities within a sociolinguistic model of communication competence. The major theoretical perspective was derived from the symbolic interactionism of Mead and the cognitive developmental theories of Piaget and Werner. The sample…

A synchronic structural description is presented of Haitian Creole as spoken in the Port-au-Prince-Jacmel area, concentrating mainly on phonoloqy and morphology. Historical information and commentary are presented on diglossia and illiteracy, two intertwining sociolinguistic problems of Haiti. A detailed analysis is presented of the Creole sound…

This thesis presents the results of a field study of code-switching in K-3 level classrooms of an experimental Spanish-English bilingual education project in Los Angeles. The goal of the project, based on a pluralistic model of bilingual education, was the maintenance of Spanish by means of continued language-development in both the students'…

This study is an inquiry into the processes of linguistic adaptation. Its purpose was to investigate the factors which are likely to influence change and retention of regional dialects outside of their regional context. Specifically, the focus of the study was on native Oklahoma speech in the Tulare area of rural California. Data were gathered…

Forty-four Hawaiian native English-speaking ninth graders were asked to assign bipolar ratings for qualities of friendliness to the recitation of a text recorded by the same person in English, French, and Ilokano. The matched guise technique of Lambert was used. Results indicate that the subjects held a negative sterotyped view of Ilokano…