The use of sociolinguistics in language teaching and learning

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the role of sociolinguistics in language education, emphasizing the need of understanding social nature of language for improving communicative competence. Aspects of sociolinguistic knowledge, such as language diversity, personal identity, power relations, and communication skills, have to be taken into the account within the sphere of language education. The present study considers relations between language, society and pedagogy, paying reference to recent research in the areas of conversation analysis and medium of instruction debate set forth by Blommaert and Ntombela. The results of the present study reveal that sociolinguistic awareness may improve language proficiency and intercultural competence and provide relevant strategies for dealing with social aspects of diverse educational contexts.