When a variety of language is shared by a group of speakers, it is known as a dialect. In this respect, dialect should be distinguished from accent, which usually refers only to pronunciation. All speakers of a language speak a dialect of that language. The speech of a resident of Alabama is quite different from the speech of a New Englander, as the Texan differs in language variety from the resident of rural Kentucky, and so forth, even though the language spoken by all is English. Language and social interaction refers to language and its function in the real world.
Pragmatics is the study of the ways in which context affects meaning.
Thus, as a function of context, the intended ning of an utterance is very often significantly different from its literal meaning. Discourse analysis examines the way in which sentences are combined in larger linguistic units, such as conversational exchanges or written texts. Matters of coherence and cohesion of texts are also investigated, and the links between utterances in sequence are also important topics of analysis. Ethnography of Communication. The ethnography of communication uses the tools of anthropology to study verbal interaction in its social setting.