There are many parallels that can be drawn between Architecture and Sociolinguistics, these both fields of applied knowledge share certain common elements which keep showing up. Though it is an old subject, the rapid changes in technology and global economy have created an environment that is unusual to past eras of design.
The primary task of Sociolinguistics is to map linguistic variation on to social conditions, and as Bernard Spolsky writes in his book 'Sociolinguistics', this mapping helps to show two major kinds of variations in language: the first is Synchronic variation (variation at a single point of time) and the second is Diachronic variation (variation over a longer period of time) which is significant changes in language.
Architectural Sociology studies buildings and their use in social contexts. By observing and mapping the use of structures and the needs of the people we may be able to observe not just diachronic changes but also synchronic changes which are happening now. With so many changes in technology taking place such as 3D printing, advances in Artificial Intelligence and robotics, the need to understand the complex interaction between humans and their environment spanning over a period of two years and less has become crucial to designing interiors.
I will be studying and trying to observe more from this perspective and I will try and journal about it here as much as I can.
