sociolinguistics

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so·ci·o·lin·guis·tics / ˌsōsēōlingˈgwistiks/ • pl. n. [treated as sing.] the study of language in relation to social factors, including differences of regional, class, and occupational dialect, gender differences, and bilingualism.DERIVATIVES: so·ci·o·lin·guist / -ˈlinggwist/ n.so·ci·o·lin·guis·tic adj.so·ci·o·lin·guis·ti·cal·ly / -ik(ə)lē/ adv.

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