What is a sociolinguistic textbase?
Sociolinguistics is the study of language with respect to social contexts. It is therefore an area that marries the interests of linguists and sociologists alike. All languages exist in a number of forms, called speech varieties. There are 4 main types of speech variety. The standard speech variety of a language is the form that is recognized as official, and is recorded in grammar handbooks, dictionaries, and the like. Regional speech varieties of a language are limited to geographical areas. Consider the differences between the English spoken by people in North America, and those in the United Kingdom. Registers are speech varieties that vary in function. For example, during the course of the day, it is not unusual to switch between using formal and informal, technical and simplified language. Finally, sociolects are speech varieties that are particular to those belonging to a specific age group, occupation, socio-economic status, or gender. The GamesBase textbase is largely sociolin
