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Vle - Sociolinguistics

The report details an observational study of language use between a waiter and customers in a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, highlighting the contrast between the waiter's polite, structured language and the customers' casual, slang-filled speech. This variation in language reflects the power dynamics and social roles present in the interaction, with the waiter maintaining professionalism while customers express linguistic freedom. The findings support the idea that sociolinguistic variation reveals underlying social structures.

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38 views1 page

Vle - Sociolinguistics

The report details an observational study of language use between a waiter and customers in a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, highlighting the contrast between the waiter's polite, structured language and the customers' casual, slang-filled speech. This variation in language reflects the power dynamics and social roles present in the interaction, with the waiter maintaining professionalism while customers express linguistic freedom. The findings support the idea that sociolinguistic variation reveals underlying social structures.

Uploaded by

tungduonggiasu07
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Observational Study Report: Language Variation Between Waitstaff and Customers in a

Restaurant

I observed an interaction between a waiter (male, around 25 years old) and two customers (one
male, one female, approximately 30 years old) at a mid-range restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.
The primary language used was Vietnamese, with occasional English terms such as “menu,”
“order,” and “combo.”

The waiter used polite and structured language, including phrases like “Dạ, anh/chị dùng món gì
ạ?” (“Yes sir/ma’am, what would you like to order?”) and “Em xin phép giới thiệu…” (“Allow
me to introduce…”). In contrast, the customers used more casual language, sometimes omitting
pronouns (“Cho 2 phần bò né” – “Give us two beef sizzling plates”) and incorporating slang like
“ngon bá cháy” (super delicious).

The language variation reflected the power dynamics and purpose of the interaction. The waiter
maintained politeness and professionalism due to his service role, while the customers exercised
more linguistic freedom. Emotional tone also influenced speech—when satisfied, customers
spoke cheerfully; when displeased, their tone became curt and firm.

This observation demonstrates how language is shaped by social roles, context, and
relationships, supporting the view that sociolinguistic variation reveals underlying social
structures.

References
Holmes, J. (2013). An introduction to sociolinguistics (4th ed.). Routledge.
Wardhaugh, R., & Fuller, J. M. (2015). An introduction to sociolinguistics (7th ed.). Wiley
Blackwell.

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