How language is used to construct and reinforce social identities, such as linguistic stereotypes and attitudes toward language varieties.
Language and culture: The relationship between language and culture, and how language shapes and is shaped by culture.
Linguistic relativity: The theory that language influences how an individual perceives and experiences the world around them.
Language acquisition: How individuals learn language and the role of identity in this process.
Language socialization: How individuals are socialized into the norms and values of their community through language.
Language maintenance and shift: The reasons why people may choose to maintain or shift to a different language, including factors related to identity.
Language contact: The ways in which languages come into contact with each other, such as through migration or colonization, and how this influences identity.
Language ideologies: Attitudes and beliefs about language and its use, and how these shape individual and group identities.
Multilingualism: The ability to speak multiple languages and how this impacts identity.
Language and power: The ways in which language can be used to exert power and the relationship between language and social inequality.
Language and ethnicity: The relationship between language and ethnic identity, including the role of language in defining and expressing ethnic identity.
Language and gender: How language is used to construct and reinforce gender roles and identities.
Language and nationalism: The role of language in the creation and maintenance of national identities.
Linguistic landscape: The visible representation of language in public spaces and its impact on identity.
Language and identity in the digital age: How digital technology is changing the relationship between language and identity.
Empirical approaches to studying language and identity: The research methods used to study language and identity, including ethnography, discourse analysis, and sociolinguistics.
Dialect: A variation of a language that is specific to a particular region or group of people.
Accent: The way a person pronounces words can help identify their regional or cultural background.
Code-switching: The act of switching between two or more languages or dialects within a single conversation.
Pidgin: A simplified language created by people who do not share a common language, often used for trade or business.
Creole: A fully developed language that has evolved from a pidgin, often incorporating elements from one or more of the original languages.
Ethnolinguistic identity: The way in which an individual's language use and linguistic knowledge contribute to their sense of identity.
Linguistic landscape: The visible presence of different languages in the public space, such as signs and advertisements.
Language revitalization: Efforts to revive and preserve endangered languages, often through education and documentation.
Language shift: The gradual decline of a language in favor of another, often due to cultural pressures or migration.
Language ideology: The beliefs and attitudes that people hold about language and its uses, often reflecting larger social and political power dynamics.