Sociolinguistics Sample Paper
This Sociolinguistics sample paper (PDF, new tab) was written as part of a final group project for a Sociolinguistics class. The assignment was to analyze the use of a linguistic feature (or set of linguistic features) from a sociolinguistic point of view – we chose to look at how Stephen Colbert’s varying pronunciation of /t/ highlights different aspects of his late-night-show character. Significant parts of the data have been removed to prevent plagiarism.
The format is that of a traditional research paper, common for larger projects such as this. Note that we include a speaker background section. This is optional but can be useful if focusing on only a few individuals (or just one). This information can otherwise be included in the introduction and/or methodology. Additionally, we have collapsed the data and discussion sections together, giving an analysis of the data right when we initially introduce it. While you can do this, keeping them separate is advisable.