A Sociolinguística

Questão 1)

When the soldier goes to his superior, he creates a cause and consequence relationship between the success of the implemented strategies and the end of the war. If the success of these strategies continued, the battles would continue to be won and, as a result, the war would come to an end. When a fellow soldier comes to him to inquire about the content of the conversation between the soldier and his superior, he says that the war would end soon, assuming the battles would continue to be won. In this way, the soldier presents more realistic language towards his superior and more optimistic towards his colleague.

Questão 2)

a.

Within the context presented, a journalist, broadcaster or something like that provides the main information about the weather forecast in London. There is no interlocutor, so the sender is likely to speak to the audience via TV or radio broadcast. The listener is implied by the context provided and also by the reader's cultural and world knowledge. The function of the statement is purely to provide referential information. The cultured and direct language, as well as the use of simple future tense are indications for this.

b.

The statement suggests that the relationship between the sender and the listener is one of proximity and affection, probably a statement by a husband to his wife, wishing her to have a good day at work. The function of the utterance here is primarily one of affect, as there is no relevant content passed through the message. In addition, terms like "dear" and "sweetheart" set the informal and personal tone of the message.

c.

The context of the utterance presents a speech issued by a student with the aim of contacting his teacher. The use of terms like "excuse me" and "May I ask?" presuppose a power relationship between the sender and the listener, so that the listener is in a superior position to the sender. The function of the statement is to demonstrate how a student normally asks permission to address his educator. The function demonstrated here is to provide referential information, so that the student seeks to remove a doubt, thus needing an answer for the dialogue to continue.

Questão 3)

The capacity and linguistic variation both in style and in formality is of great relevance for the social survival of human beings. Even a judge or politician who normally uses a more formal and cultured style of language need to speak more simply and directly with their family or friends. The consequences of language limitation affect both the individual's personal and professional life, so that it can lead to a person's isolation if he or she is unable to fluctuate between different styles. The reciprocal is true, as someone who can only speak in a colloquial type of language would likely have problems in a more demanding, professional context.

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