affect the way people speak or talk since it is determined by the social context. In accordance with those two linguists, Holmes 2001: 1 also says that sociolinguistics
is concerned with the relationship between language and the context in which the language is used. It explains that people who study linguistics probably concern on
describing people’s different ways of speaking in different social contexts. Moreover, Holmes argues that sociolinguists also try to investigate the use of language to
convey messages. As language functions to convey messages, there must be social interactions between the members of community. Those social interactions can
indicate the relationship of the people who are involved. Thus, sociolinguistics is essential in explaining the interaction between the members of the society.
As cited in Wardaugh 2006: 12, sociolinguistics is concerned with investigating the relationship between language and society with its goal to
understand better the structure of language and the functions of language in communication. It means that in sociolinguistics, people learn how social structures
influence the way people talk. In addition, they also study how social attributes such as class, sex, and age influence the use of language varieties and pattern. Similarly,
Chaika 1982: 3 states that sociolinguistics is a study of language use in social interaction. It means that this study focuses on the way people talk naturally in
everyday communication in their social environment. From the definitions above, it can be concluded that sociolinguistics is the
branch of linguistics which studies the relation between language and society. It also
studies about the ways people use language in social interaction. Moreover,
sociolinguistics is a study of language in relation to society. Language is the foundation of society allowing people to live, work, and play together. By using
language, people can also show their characteristics, their background, even their
personal identity.
2. Solidarity and Politeness
One of the purposes of language is to maintain relationship and solidarity between people, so that it is important to use language properly. Addressing a person
with an appropriate address term that befits hisher age or status is one of the norms of speech that makes interaction between speakers acceptable. It signals the speaker’s
attitude towards the addressee and defines the relationship that speaker perceives to exist between himher and the addressee Wardaugh, 2006: 260. People should
notice some considerations in the word choice they use in conversation. Those considerations include what people want to say and how people say Wardaugh,
2006: 260. The use of language properly is often related to politeness, but most people
have difficulties in understanding the definition of politeness. Many linguists have tried to define what politeness is. Spolsky 2001: 19-20 defines it as something in
communication which consists of the listener’s recognition and the speaker’s rights in the situation. Then, Yule 2006: 60 defines politeness as:
…another person’s face. In this sense, politeness can be accomplished in situations of social distance or closeness. Showing awareness for another
person’s face when that other seems socially distant is often described in terms of respect or deference.
Thus, politeness can be defined as the way people use language to maintain their relationship with others. It shows how to use the language and conduct the
conversation well. The use of language in a society can describe the relationship among the users. The relationship between the speaker and the addressee can be seen
through the way people address others.
3. Address Terms
Language is not only concerned with the message but also concerned with the setting and social relationship between the users. In communication, people try to
make the listener understand what heshe thinks and what heshe feels. Heshe is also using language to define hisher relationship, to identify himher as part of a social
group, and to establish the kind of speech event heshe is in. This is clearly highlighted in the use of address terms. To give a clearer explanation, Fasold 1997:
1-2 defines address terms in the following way. Address terms are the words speakers use to designate the person they are
talking to while they are talking to them. They are also part of semantic systems which are connected to the social relationships. Names and second-
person pronouns are two main kinds of address terms in most language. Every society has its own way in conducting communication, especially in the
way its member addresses others. People often think that address terms, greetings,
and summons are the same way, but actually they are not. As stated by Chaika 1982:
