ABSTRACT
In this chapter we explore the way age plays a role in the stratification of society. We are particularly interested in how that stratification is represented in the use of language and how language is used about and in communication with different age groups. One way that different usage of language according to age group can be seen is in patterns of language change. Another pattern of language variation can be found in age groupings across the lifespan. These kinds of variation are reflective of an age group’s place in the social hierarchy. In addition to examining how different age groups use language, it’s also important to consider how language is used to communicate to people of different ages. For example, the terms used to refer to people of different ages tell us something about how we perceive age in our society. As we saw in Chapter 6 and 7, the way a person is described reveals a great deal about their position in the social hierarchy and thus how much power they have.
