Sociolinguistics Reflection

Student Name: Joanna Concha B.
Tutor Date: 02/27/21

SOCIOLINGUISTICS: LL 218
Reflection on language and social interaction.
The interconnection of language and social interactions has piqued my interest

way back in University since I have been joining speech contests, spoken word poetry,
and other public performances. At that time, I wanted to master the universal language,
English, so that I could persuade others and connect with them through words. However,
as I started working with foreigners at work and other people with different backgrounds
and social environments, I realized even if I know hefty information about grammar,
vocabulary, pronunciation and so on, miscommunication and misunderstanding still
happen. And it’s not just between different cultures but even inside my house! I have
misunderstandings and conflicts with my siblings and parents even if live in the same
house and have similar background and environment. So, why? Why does conflict
happen and how does language play a role in our social activities?
Not until recently, did I find out the scope of language on how it affects an individual
and how we interact with others at large. By doing this report on Chapter six in our
Sociolinguistic class, I discovered the reasons why we use different languages, the
differences in the rules and structure of the language between different cultures and within
the society. I will further discuss these topics below and narrate my own experiences and
epiphanies.
1. Language switching. Subconsciously or consciously people have been switching

the codes or languages they use because of three factors: social interaction,
discussion topic, and to express particular moods and intention. My linguistic
repertoire is Bisaya, Tagalog, English, and Japanese. I use these languages
depending on the people I am with, our topic, and what particular emotions or
feelings I want to express. For instance, when I am in my Japanese class and I
talk with my Filipino students. I speak with them in Tagalog, English, and
Japanese. However, when I am with my boyfriend and when we talk about the
restaurant where we will eat, I speak with him in Bisaya.
2. Different rules of language between cultures. In sociolinguistics, we

understand that through language humans “do” the social world. What do I mean
by “do” the social world? Sociolinguists and discourse analysts answer this
question that we combine linguistic and social rules to link words and activities
together. And these rules differ and vary everywhere in the world. So what
happens when we have different rules and structures?
We interpret actions and words differently. When we have different
interpretations, conflict and misunderstanding occur. When I understood this, I had
an epiphany that even if I master the “universal language, English,” people will still
misunderstand me because they will have different interpretations.
3. Differences of rules within the society. Wars and conflict do not only happen
between different countries and cultures but, also it exists within the same society.
American Sociolinguist, Deborah Tannen, explains that men and women have
cross-cultural communication because of the use of directness and indirectness.
She explains that direct people are usually on the top of the social hierarchy and
those who belong on the lower level use indirectness. A famous speaker, Emily
Fletcher, explains that women use “qualifying language” when they speak. For
instance, men say, “Just do it.” Women on the other hand say, “If it’s possible, just
do it. Only if you are comfortable.” I can relate and attest to this! I have been using
qualifying language in my daily conversations. I have two reasons why I don’t use
directness: because I don’t want to sound too intrusive and low self-esteem.
This reporting activity on language and social interaction helped me understand that
mastering the universal language is not the only key to communicate effectively with
others and avoid conflict. I also need to consider how different people interpret my
language. As the famous psychologist, Carl Jung, says, the first key to change is
awareness. By having awareness, I now realize that I have a choice because prior to my
knowledge, I was living a life on auto-pilot. I can choose if I want to continue using
language the same way as before, or I could try using language in a way to bridge the
gap between cultures and the people around me. And, I choose the latter one.

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Student Name: Joanna Concha B.

Tutor Date: 02/27/21

Reflection on language and social interaction.

The interconnection of language and social interactions has piqued my interest

1. Language switching. Subconsciously or consciously people have been switching

2. Different rules of language between cultures. In sociolinguistics, we

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