Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to have a substantial impact on the field of sociolinguistics.AI has the potential to change the landscape of sociolinguistic research in a number of ways.For example, AI tools can assist sociolinguists in analyzing large volumes of social media data to study language variation, linguistic trends, and changes in language use over time.Sentiment analysis and topic modeling algorithms can reveal insights into societal attitudes and language dynamics, helping us to study language ideologies.AI-powered speech recognition technologies can aid in the automatic identification and analysis of dialects and accents.AI can streamline the process of conducting large-scale surveys and collecting sociolinguistic data.Chatbots or automated interview tools can be employed to gather responses from diverse populations, facilitating more comprehensive studies of language variation.AI can assist in the analysis of linguistic markers related to identity and representation in texts and speech.This includes studying how language is used to construct and express social identities, such as gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.AI algorithms can help sociolinguists analyze social networks and communities based on linguistic interactions.This can provide insights into how language is used within specific social groups and how linguistic patterns contribute to the formation of social networks.AI tools can support ethnographic research by automating certain aspects of data analysis.For example, natural language processing algorithms can assist in categorizing and extracting themes from qualitative data, making the analysis process more efficient.AI can contribute to the analysis of language policies and their impact on society.This includes assessing the effects of language planning initiatives on linguistic diversity, language maintenance, and language shift within communities.
Source: Journal of Sociolinguistics
DOI: 10.1111/josl.12678
Author: Helen Kelly‐Holmes
Institution: University of Limerick
Language: English
Subfield: Linguistics and Language
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,730
OpenAlex ID: W4404219716