The Role of Social Background, Gender and Ethnicity in Language Choice and Use:
A Case Study on a Group of Young English Learners from Romania
The Role of Social Background, Gender and Ethnicity in Language Choice and Use:
A Case Study on a Group of Young English Learners from Romania
Author(s): Elena MEȘTEREAGĂSubject(s): Foreign languages learning, Media studies, ICT Information and Communications Technologies, Sociology of Education
Published by: Editura Universitatii LUCIAN BLAGA din Sibiu
Keywords: linguistic patterns; social factors; ethnicity; gender identity; class background; social networks;
Summary/Abstract: This essay examines the role of English learners’ social networks in linguistic patterns used by focusing on some of the static features of society that affect language choice and use. Changes experienced by the respondents of this study during primary and secondary school education may be considered as improving factors in their linguistic knowledge, acquiring competences in production and perception of speech mechanism, as well as enlarging the factual knowledge and view of the world in which they live. Also, the knowledge of the world around us and the complex environment is enlarged during the course of life enlarging the area of language choice and use of English. The complex relationship between the movement through life and change/development in the use of English is affected by the social background, gender and ethnicity. Thus, this study provides an outlook at the issue regarding the fact that the more young learners discover the complex social networks, the more their language enriches in order to convey properly the intricate perceived environment, being shaped by the society they live in.
Journal: East-West Cultural Passage
- Issue Year: 15/2015
- Issue No: 2
- Page Range: 116-137
- Page Count: 22
- Language: English
- Content File-PDF