Keywords
English sociolinguistics
address terms
titles
phonological variation
register stratification
deference
linguistic capital.
How to Cite
Abstract
This study examines the linguistic mechanisms through which social status is encoded, performed, and negotiated in the English language. Drawing on sociolinguistic theory, discourse analysis, and anthropological linguistics, the research investigates how address terms, phonological variables, and occupational registers function as status-indexing devices across diverse Anglophone contexts. The findings demonstrate that English does not merely reflect pre-existing social status but actively constitutes it, providing speakers with a repertoire of linguistic strategies for status alignment, deference negotiation, and identity construction.References
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