Analysis of Language Variation in the Relationship between Superior and Subordinate

史佳

1.Background.Linguists regard language as the social behavior， and think it mainly reflects on the social status of the speakers， especially reflect on the power and equality.Language changes along social development.It also changes from region to region， from one social group to another and from individual to individual.The products of such changes are the varieties of language （Huzhuanglin， 1988）.There are some major factors which influence the use of language， including class， gender， age， ethnic identity， education background， occupation， religious belief.（Huzhanglin， 1988） In our discussion below， we are going to focus on the first factor and show its impact upon the use of language.

2.Content.Language is a kind of social product， the nature of language is the tool for social communication， it not belongs to any specific class， and however， it is used by various classes.Each class has its own interest， position， custom and cultural tradition， consequently， language is marked by class brand in many situations.Different classes have different positions and play different roles in the society.Although the relationship between person and person is different， generally speaking， it can be divided into two types： （1）equal relation， or consistent relation； （2）unequal relation， or we may call it power relation or leader-member relation（Guoxi，2004）.These relationships can be caused by some inherent， congenital genetic factors， it also can be formed by some obtained characteristics.This paper would mainly discuss some of the ways in which language use varies between the superior and subordinate in China.Social linguist Gregory R.Guy put forward that different groups of the society should show linguistic differences （Gregory R.Guy， 1988）.In 1940s， American socialist W.L.Warner divided social rank into three parts： upper class， middle class and lower class.The languages they use have the variations except in grammar， also in lexicon.Mainly displays in variations in sound （allophone， pitch， tone， intonation） and lexicon.

In order to make himself be accepted as the member of a specific class or to show his own status in purpose， he will use special language to perform himself （Labov， 1966）.In this sense， if the person doesn't pay attention to the control of his sound variation in communication， it may hinder his social contact and miss the opportunity to participate some vocation even the promotion （Cruttenden， 2001）.This state of mind reflects on the use of language.According to different purposes， different time， different situations and different object people will choose different code.

Firstly， judging from the choice of words， when the superiors speak to the subordinates they accustomed to using some of the written， elegant and formal words.In fact， different social classes vary greatly on the choice of words （Luxueyi， 2000）.In addition， in the upper class， the superior regard the words like vulgar and slang as taboo， and avoid using them as possible， especial in the public.In contrast， when the subordinates speak to the superiors， they usually use some complimentary or flattery words.Sometimes， if the superiors think the report of the subordinates is inappropriate， the subordinates should express more cautious， as far as possible using the words of advice and recommendations.

Secondly， judging from the tone and intonation， when the superiors speak to the subordinates， the tone is relatively flat and the intonation is much blunt.In contrast， when the subordinates speak to the superiors， they usually adopt the respected， cautious， courteous and obedient tone.Generally speaking， when one person speaks to the people with the same level the performance is much normal， and the behavior will be more natural and generous.However， when they contact to the upper class， they will feel nervous and have the feelings of inferiority.In the contrary， when they speak to the people lower than themselves， they will behave much freely and confidently.

Last but not least， judging from the use of sentences， when the upper class or the superiors speak to the subordinates， they usually use imperative sentence.And sometimes， they use simple and short words to answer the subordinates' question.In contrast， when the subordinates speak to the superiors， they usually use interrogative sentence， to show their respect to the superiors.They can not say something that beyond their own duty scope， otherwise， the superiors may think you are arrogant.

3.Conclusion.This paper analyses the language variation in the relationship between the upper and the lower， or the superiors and the subordinates.Discuss the different ways in which language use varies between the two parts briefly.In this paper， there are some examples of my own， they are may not so appropriate and I hope to see a further discussion on this field by others.

Reference：

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[3]Gregory R.Guy.' Language and social class ' in Frederick J.Newmeyer（ed.） Linguistics： The Cambridge Survey[C].Cambridge： Cambridge University press， 1988.

[4]Labov， W.The Social Stratification of English in New York City[M].Center for Applied Linguistics， 1966.

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