Linguistics Vanguard· 2026Q1
Sociolinguists against the AI hype? AI tools in sociolinguistics scholarship
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
A global survey of 274 sociolinguists reveals limited adoption of AI for data collection/analysis, with strong reservations about ethical, environmental, and integrity issues, indicating AI has not disrupted the field's foundations.
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Key points
- 274 sociolinguists globally surveyed on AI adoption and views.
- AI primarily used for efficiency and experimentation, not core data tasks.
- Significant reservations exist regarding AI's ethical, environmental, and integrity impacts.
- AI has not yet disrupted the epistemological or methodological foundations of sociolinguistics.
- Sociolinguistics adopts a cautious stance, urging critical reflection on AI hype.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract This paper examines sociolinguists’ views of and engagement with artificial intelligence technology in sociolinguistics scholarship, an area that has received little systematic attention to date. Drawing on a global survey of 274 respondents, the study reveals that while automatization and AI tools are mainly used for efficiency and experimentation purposes, their adoption for data collection and analysis remains limited. Moreover, sociolinguists express strong reservations about AI, including concerns over ethical, environmental, research integrity, and power-related issues. Our data show that AI technology has not disrupted the epistemological or methodological foundations of sociolinguistics research. We argue that under structural pressures to maximize productivity and efficiency, sociolinguistics positions itself as a cautious field, calling for critical reflection on the so-called AI hype. The study urges continued scrutiny of AI’s implications for the production of sociolinguistic knowledge.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Linguistics Vanguard, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Linguistics and Language
Linguistics and LanguageSocial Sciences