Sociolinguistics, as a branch of linguistics, offers teachers the possibility to acquire this knowledge and apply it inside the classroom in different ways.
2. Learning Activity
what language is spoken at home? why?
is the same language spoken by different generations?
is there a difference between language used for domestic or
professional issues?
what encouragement is given? what are the expectations at
home?
Observe how people express themselves when language other
than Mother tongue is spoken at home
4. What is Socio-linguistics
Sociolinguistics is the descriptive study of the effect of any
and all aspects of society, including cultural norms,
expectations, and context, on the way language is used,
and society's effect on language. It differs from sociology of
language, which focuses on the effect of language on
society.
Sociolinguistics refers to the way language is used in
society.
5. The branch of linguistics that deals with the exploration of the
relation between language and society is known as
sociolinguistics.
Sociolinguistics is based on the fact that language is not a
single homogeneous entity , but has different forms in
different situations.
The changes in language occur because of changes in social
conditions, for example, social class, gender, regional and
cultural groups.
6. • Speech community :
a particular social group may speak a different variety of a
language from the rest of the community.
• Dialect :
varieties of a language that are formed in various
geographical regions and involve a change in pronunciation
vocabulary.
7. • Class-dialect : changes present in language within the same
geographical region due to the social differences between different
economic sections, e.g. working class and aristocracy.
• Register : variation in language due to the specific area of human
activity in which language is used , e.g. Law, religion, science, sports
etc. This variety of specific vocabulary according to its use is called
register. Thus language use in communication is not arbitrary or
uncontrolled, but is governed by rules of situational and contextual
appropriateness.
8. How do societies become multilingual ?
(Causes)
Migration
Cultural Contact
Annexation / Colonialism
Commerce and Trade
Ethnic identity
9. Migration
People migrate for the purpose of employment,
marriage, studies etc. and due to this they come in
in contact with new languages.
Cultural contact
Food, cloths, dance and music etc. are culture
specific and adds to the language which is needed to
transact the culture.
Explanation
10. Annexation / Colonialism
During the British era, there was a need to identify one
language which could be used in India for administration
purposes. However, this provide to be a challenge and the
ended up identifying 5-6 languages which came into
prominence.
Commerce and trade
The language of trade is unique and as trade expands
across the local border, it is important that the language
used by the buyer and the seller has to match. Thus due to
trade and commerce, society becomes multilingual.
11. Ethnic identity
Even within a particular community or region. Each
ethic community will have its variation based on the
ethnic identity. This affects their language and use of
the language. Thus a Gujrati Muslim will be very
different from a Kerala Muslim.
12. Creating Awareness ( Teacher’s Role)
Have a positive regard for Bilingualism or
Multilingualism:
Bilingualism cannot be identified with a low level of
intelligence , poor educational performance and socio-
economic stagnation. Bilingualism is independent of
intelligence and consistent with the highest educational and
socio-economic achievement.
13. Have a positive attitude towards the Mother
tongue
The learner’s other languages have their own distinctive
and valued roles to play in his/her community. Ignoring
the existence of these languages or negating their value
by insisting on the exclusive use of the dominant
language is detrimental to the learner’s self-respect and
cultural identity.
14. Familiarities with the learner’s languages
Teachers must be familiar with the other languages in the
learner’s repertoires, at this will ensure that the learner
can make himself understood at the basic level.
Tolerant attitude
A relaxed ,open minded or tolerant attitude to language
variation promotes cultural pluralism. The focus is not on
native like performance, but communicative effectiveness.
15. Using connection between language
A teacher must Encourage learners to see connections
between their languages and the school language. Most
languages have many things similar, which can be
highlighted. And in case there are any difference, those to
can be explained.
Using ‘Codeswitching’
Codeswitching is the use of two or more languages in a
single conversation. A teacher should use this technique to
establish rapport with the student and help the student
whenever they get stuck in their communication needs.
