Sociolinguistics and Bourdieu's sociology: negotiating disciplinary boundaries

Abstract

In this article we explore the possibilities of dialogue between sociolinguistics and the Bourdieu’s sociology. We start from critiques provided by the French sociologist to modern linguistics, notably in Language and symbolic power (Bourdieu, 1991), and A economia das trocas linguísticas (Bourdieu, 2008), and we resume the considerations of linguists who highlighted certain limitations of the practice theory in order to explain linguistic phenomena. Focusing on sociolinguistics, we argue that these debates must be viewed within a broader context, in which one considers the social conditions of constitution and development of the sociolinguistic field of studies. To conclude, we briefly present some sociolinguistics studies conducted in dialogue with the practice theory of Bourdieu. Not only was this done to highlight the common ground between these disciplines, but also to encourage the theoretical and methodological reflections pertaining to this interdisciplinary proposal. We are aware of the fact that it is not possible to propose a harmonious association of distinct theories so that they could complement each other. However, we would like to propose an inquiry and interpretative analysis of the key concepts formulated in each area and negotiate their disciplinary thresholds. This could lead to an analysis of linguistic variation that would make the relation between language and its practical working conditions more visible.