Sociolinguistics is the study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used.

It also studies how lects differ between groups separated by certain social variables, e.g., ethnicity, religion, status, gender, level of education, etc., and how creation and adherence to these rules is used to categorize individuals in social class or socio-economic classes. As the usage of a language varies from place to place (dialect), language usage varies among social classes, and it is these sociolects that sociolinguistics studies.

For example, a sociolinguist might determine through study of social attitudes that Black English Vernacular would not be considered appropriate language use in a business or professional setting; he or she might also study the grammar, phonetics, vocabulary, and other aspects of this sociolect much as a dialectologist would study the same for a regional dialect.

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UC Davis News: General Interest

Symposium to Explore Economic Impact of Patent Reform
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Top patent law experts will explore the probable effects of patent law reform on innovation and the economy during a daylong symposium at the UC Davis School of Law. The symposium, titled "The Perfect Storm of Patent Reform?," will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, on the UC Davis campus. All panel discussions will be free and open to the public; the luncheon will be $15 for students and $25 for others. To reserve a seat, register by Oct. 29 at http://www.law.ucdavis.edu/events/fenwickwest/PerfectStormProgram.shtml. Speakers will outline patent law developments under way in Congress, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the courts, and examine potential effects of proposed reforms on both small companies that use patent protection to attract investment and large companies concerned with inappropriate or frivolous assertions of patent rights. Panelists will include: Barbara Caulfield, partner, Dewey & LeBeouf, East Palo Alto Colleen Chien, assistant professor of law, Santa Clara University Mark Lemley, professor of law, Stanford University Doug Luftman, associate general counsel, intellectual property, Palm Inc., Sunnyvale Chip Lutton, chief patent counsel, Apple Inc. Robert Merges, professor of law and technology, UC Berkeley Paul R. Michel, chief judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Lynn Pasahow, partner, Fenwick & West Sanjay Prasad, head, enterprise software licensing, Intellectual Ventures Jerry Selinger, partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and former director, American Intellectual Property Law Association Andrew Serafini, partner, Fenwick & West Jay Thomas, professor of law, Georgetown University Stratton Sclavos, former CEO, VeriSign Inc., Mountain View (luncheon keynote speaker) "The Perfect Storm of Patent Reform?" is the first in a five-year Technology, Entrepreneurship, Science and Law lecture series co-sponsored by the UC Davis School of Law and Fenwick & West, a law firm serving technology and life sciences clients through offices in Mountain View, San Francisco, Seattle and Boise.
UC Davis Improves Handling of 9-1-1 Calls From Cells
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Emergency help is closer for many cell phone users who make a 9-1-1 call on the University of California, Davis, campus. Cell sites around the Davis campus will now route wireless 9-1-1 calls to the public safety dispatch center at UC Davis, instead of to the California Highway Patrol. The new system -- for those using wireless service providers Verizon, AT&T, Nextel and T-Mobile -- is designed to get emergency police, fire or medical assistance to callers sooner. The wireless 9-1-1 service is among other recent steps to enhance safety, security and emergency response at UC Davis. At one time, most cell phones were mounted in vehicles, so 9-1-1 calls from cell phones throughout California were routed to the CHP's regional call centers -- sometimes miles away -- and callers could experience long delays before their call was answered and help directed to them. "Many students and other members of our campus community use cell phones," said Annette Spicuzza, chief of the UC Davis Police Department, which is responsible for the university's public safety dispatch center. "With this wireless 9-1-1 system, we can better get emergency help to them when they're on campus." The university police department worked with CHP and wireless phone carriers so that wireless 9-1-1 calls are routed according to the cell site receiving and transmitting the signal, and local cell site antennas are directed toward the campus dispatch center. Calls from sites that are aimed at state patrolled highways and roadways are still routed to the California Highway Patrol. Service providers Wireless service providers that have been tested and work with the UC Davis dispatch center are: Verizon, AT&T, Nextel and T-Mobile. Cellular customers who do not have these providers should program (530) 752-1230 into their cell phone and use it for emergency calls on the Davis campus. Wireless call routing has proved effective, Spicuzza said, and many municipalities already have the capability. The city of Davis implemented its wireless 9-1-1 system about a year ago. The university has its own full-service police and fire departments and has a comprehensive emergency management program. The dispatch center at the police department is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by certified public safety dispatchers. It manages police and fire communications for the Davis campus. To learn more about the 9-1-1 wireless program, call the UC Davis Police Department at (530) 752-1727. About UC Davis For 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has 31,000 students, an annual research budget that exceeds $500 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges -- Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science -- and advanced degrees from five professional schools -- Education, Law, Management, Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine.
Faculty Panel: Government Reaction to the Economic Crisis
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Oct. 10, Friday -- UC Davis faculty members from the fields of law and economics will discuss the recent turmoil in the financial markets and the government's responses to it from noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, in room 2011 of King Hall on the UC Davis campus. The panel discussion is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so please arrive early. Panelists are economics professor Peter Lindert, a specialist in economic history and international economics, and law professors Joel Dobris, a specialist in fiduciary duty, Tom Joo, an expert in corporate governance, and Evelyn Lewis, a specialist in business transactions. The panel discussion is sponsored by the UC Davis School of Law. For more information, contact Brigid Jimenez at (530) 754-4339.

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