A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics David Crystal

440 sluicing
the sentence The children – home, the ‘slot’ marked by the dash can be ‘filled’
by came, are, went, etc. – a subclass of verbs. Approaches characterized by this
emphasis are sometimes referred to as slot-and-filler models. The analysis of
sentence structure in terms of slots is a major feature of tagmemic grammar,
where the notion is used to identify the filler items (e.g. ‘subject slot’,
‘object slot’).
(2) A term used in autosegmental phonology for an element on the skeletal
tier. These elements are also known as V-slots and C-slots, referring to
the segments to which vowels and consonants must associate if they are to be
realized (see association line).
sluicing (n.) A term sometimes used in syntax for a type of ellipsis, in which
an interrogative item is interpreted as a complete question, the omitted material
being retrieved from the previous discourse. The deletion leaves a WH-phrase,
as in Somebody just left. Guess who. Cases where the existential quantifier
some is the antecedent are called sprouting, as in He ate. I don’t know what.
small clause (SC) A term used in government-binding theory for a clause
that contains neither a finite verb nor an infinitival to. Lacking both C
and I, its structure can be defined as [NP XP], where XP is an AP, NP, etc.
Examples include John considered [Mary foolish], Mary considered [John a
fool], I want [him off my boat] and I saw [him do it].
social accent see accent (1)
social deixis
see deixis
social dialectology
see class dialect, dialectology
social function see function (3)
social-interactionism (n.) In language acquisition, the view that language is a
rule-governed cultural actvitity learned through interaction with others. It contrasts
especially with those theories which view language as an innate capacity.
See empiricism, emergentism, innateness.
social stratification
see stratification
sociohistorical linguistics A approach within sociolinguistics which studies
the forms and uses of language in society, and how particular linguistic
functions and types of variation develop over time within specific languages,
speech communities, social groups and individuals.
sociolect (n.) A term used by some sociolinguists to refer to a linguistic variety
(or lect) defined on social (as opposed to regional) grounds, e.g. correlating
with a particular social class or occupational group.
sociolinguistics (n.) A branch of linguistics which studies all aspects of the
relationship between language and society. Sociolinguists study such matters