Sociolinguistics and language teaching

Abstract

Sociolinguistics is concerned with all aspects of human language but particularly focusses on the ways in which a given language can and does vary, not only among the social groups who speak the language, but also according to the social and cultural situations in which the language is used. Research has indicated that the ability to vary the use of language in particular ways depending upon the social setting and the social characteristics of the conversants contributes in an important way to the meaning of utterances. The notion, then, of being competent in a language involves being able to vary one's use of the language. Implications of recent developments in sociolinguistics for education policy, language teaching methodology, and for further sociolinguistic research in Southeast Asia are explored.