On explaining language shift: Sociology or social psychology of language?

Maitz, Péter (2011). On explaining language shift: Sociology or social psychology of language? Multilingua - journal of cross-cultural and interlanguage communication, 30(2), pp. 147-175. Walter de Gruyter 10.1515/mult.2011.008

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This study investigates the potentials and limits of sociolinguistic re- search on language shift. Starting from a position that the ultimate goal of the research must be to create a general theory of language shift of predictive power, the author examines the explanatory potential of cur- rent mainstream research methodology now regarded as canonical in the practice of research. He argues for the view that, for the purposes of the research goal mentioned, the arsenal of social psychology may prove more fruitful than sociologically-based correlational-global analysis methodology. There are, however, two necessary conditions to this. On the one hand, we cannot be satisfied with a mere additive consideration of the ‘subjective’ psychological factors in addition to the ‘objective’ fac- tors of language shift. Instead, there is a need for a general change in point of view. On the other hand, sociolinguistics needs to show greater care in treating terms, notions, and theories borrowed from social psy- chology in a methodologically more precise way than is reflected in to- day’s research practice.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

06 Faculty of Humanities > Department of Linguistics and Literary Studies > Institute of Germanic Languages

UniBE Contributor:

Maitz, Péter

Subjects:

400 Language > 410 Linguistics

ISSN:

0167-8507

Publisher:

Walter de Gruyter

Language:

English

Submitter:

Péter Maitz

Date Deposited:

12 Dec 2018 11:58

Last Modified:

12 Jul 2024 06:32

Publisher DOI:

10.1515/mult.2011.008

Uncontrolled Keywords:

sociolinguistics, language choice, language shift, social psy- chology of language, linguistic methodology, linguistic mi- norities

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.121479

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/121479

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