The integration of language and society: A cross-linguistic perspective

Language and society are closely integrated and mutually supportive (rather than one being dependant on the other). An unusual (non-universal) facet of a language can relate to a specific trait of social organisation, or life-style, etc., evidenced among the society of language users. On the basis of detailed individual studies, we put forward inductive generalisations concerning recurrent correlations underlying the congruence, or mutual integration, of language and society, and outline dependencies between the established correlations. We identify the following linguistic parameters demonstrably sensitive to societal traits: reference classification: the composition and use of genders and classifiers, types of possession, directing and addressing, information source, transmission of information, interaction patterns, and special speech styles. The focal clusters of the following non-linguistic traits can be shown to be integrated with these linguistic features: A. Relations within a community, social hierarchies, and kinship categorisation; B. Social constraints (taboo and avoidance); C. Principles of interaction and attitudes to information and its sources; D. Beliefs, religion, spirits, and dreams; E. Means of subsistence and physical environment; and F. Language awareness, language engineering, and sensitivity to societal changes. Grammatical categories which show a degree of integration with the society constitute integration points. These may change if social conditions change. A combination of synchronic and diachronic approaches to the integration of language and society brings us a step further towards answering the crucial question: why language are the way they are.