The Impact of Social Factors on the Use of Lectal Variations from a Socio-cognitive Linguistics Perspective

Speakers’ linguistic behavior regarding the usage of lectal variations (regional, Shirazi and Standard varieties), creates mixed responses which are influenced by social variables, the age, gender, education and place of residence. The favorable and unfavorable reactions toward the regional lectals have led to the formation of social categorizations from a cognitive point of view. This field study describes the correlation between social layers and linguistic forms in Fars Province. Data collection was carried out through a survey method by 490 speakers from Shiraz, Marvdasht, Kazeroun, Fasa, Jahrom and several cities around Shiraz. The founding indicates that, the age group of 15 to 30 year-old more than the other age group, women more than men and, speakers with higher education, prefer to use the Standard Variety rather than their local varieties in social domains (family, education, work, street, media, and in elites’ discourse). Although the Standard Variety is dominant everywhere, local varieties are used by the native speakers to express their identity in informal social settings and live with these varieties alongside their family and acquaintances.