Sociolect
The language variety used by a particular social group, determined by factors like social class, age, ethnicity, or occupation. Sociolects reflect social identity.
Real World
UK drill music artists like Central Cee use a London-influenced sociolect featuring terms like 'mandem', 'ting', and 'peng' — language that signals group membership and excludes outsiders unfamiliar with the sociolect.
Exam Focus
Distinguish sociolect from dialect in your answer — sociolect is group-based (class, age, ethnicity), dialect is geography-based; conflating them loses marks.
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