Sociolinguistics

 This week we have learned how to write a research paper. Since I have written research papers before in my other lessons such as critical reading and study skills, I feel less anxious this time. Experience reduces anxiety, you know. However, I am still nervous because this lesson is a little bit complex. It is a combination of sociology and linguistics but I still like it. I am having difficulty choosing my topic because there are enourmous amount of studies that can be conducted in this field but I will figure it out. Generally writing a research paper is tough and it requires lots of mental work. I think this will be beneficial and improve me very much.

    We have talked about Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis this week. I agree with linguistic relativity as most of my friends and our teacher because it is not extreme as linguistic determinism and it makes more sense to me. First of all, we cannot say that it is only the language we speak that determines our way of thinking because even though it helps us understand some concepts, the language is not that effective on our thoughts. There are much more important things than that. I even doubt that it has any effect at all but when I started to learn English, I became a more polite and elite person. I don't know if it is because of the superior status of the language and the nationality it belongs to but I was a much more rude and soulles person before I start learning it. I might have started to question the words I use. However, it didn't change me in any other aspect.

 I never use intrasententional code switch in my life and I have never seen anyone using it from my friends but I sometimes use extrasentential code switch especially while speaking to the people I have newly met for example I say "me too" instead of "ben de" both in order to be seen sincere and to show that I am studying at ELT department and maybe to show that I am a relax person. Another code switch that I use is situational codeswitching. To give an example, I can say "kanka, lan" to my best friend but I can not say them to my mom or dad if I am not trying to piss them.

 There are differences in speeches of different communities which belong to the same country in aspects of words and pronunciation. For example, my friend from Ankara used the words "dız,dızcı,dızmak" this week which I have never heard of. As I have learned, these are all about "stealing". Instead of using "hırsız" to say "a thief", like all of the other countries of Turkey do, they use "dızcı", and instead of saying "çalmak" for "stealing", they use "dızmak". I found it very interesting when I first heard it. I cannot imagine myself using these words but they always use them.

      This week, we have talked about how language changes in different contexts in class. Our speech changes according to some factors such as who we are talking to, where/when/why we are talking and what are we talking about (the topic). While listening to this lesson, I have noticed that I live these changes all the time unconsciously. To give an example; my speech changes when I talk to my boy bestie and my girl bestie. I use "hacı/aga" when I talk to my boy bestie because these words are more masculine, and I use the words "bacım/kız" when I talk to my girl besties because these words are more feminine. I also use "pardon, bakar mısınız?" while asking something to a stranger or an elder person but I use "kankacım/canım" while asking something to my close friends. To sum up, we use much more sincere words to our close ones, and we use more distant words while talking to people we don't know much.