Language does much more than communicate information and express our thoughts and emotions. The words we choose and the way we say them also reveal our assumptions about the social order and our place in it. This course examines both the formal structure of language and the way language is used in different social situations. After an overview of the basic techniques of sociolinguistic analysis, we will look at specific examples of language use and development: language as an expression of social equality and inequality (Why does Hindi have four levels of politeness and English only one? What role do particular communication styles such as gossip play in structuring a social group?); the speech styles of men and women (Why are they different and how do the differences manifest themselves across different languages and cultures?); the techniques of teaching language to infants (Why do parents in some cultures never speak directly to their infants?); the development and social significance of linguistic subcultures such as black English or gay slang; language as a political issue (the problems of multilingual societies and the controversies over "free" speech/"hate" speech); the impact of the globalization of English on different societies. Requirements: exercises in speech analysis, a take-home midterm, and a final exam. Prerequisite: prior exposure to anthropology or sociology or permission of the instructor.