As Gudykunst and Yun Kim (1997) claim, the relationship between symbols and the things which they symbolize is not a self evident or natural one… Symbols derive their specific function from group consensus or social convention and have no effect whatever (outside their rather trivial physical characteristics) on any person not acquainted with such consensus or convention.

The meaning we attach to a symbol is a function of our culture, our ethnic group, our family and our unique individual experiences. The human ability to develop speech and language and to communicate derives from the usage of symbols. Their meaning is learned within the process of socialization, the process of acquiring a cultur

The institutional support refers to the representation of the language use in institutions such as churches, businesses and government agencies. The greater the institutional support for a language group, the greater its validity.

The economic and social status of a group can have a big influence on the language that the group uses. For example the language that a businessman uses versus the language that a street vender uses. Giles&Johnson say that the higher a group’s social status, the greater it’s vitality.

Some topics in this essay:
According Hymes&Gumperz, Yun Kim, DIALECT LANGUAGE, , SOCIAL STATUS, DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, rules tell speakers, institutional support, social status, tell speakers, rules tell, speech community, language speech, group’s social, language dialect, function language, type language, group’s social status, institutional support group’s, language speech communities,