Sociolinguistics and its Contribution to Foreign Language Learning

Sociolinguistics is a broad and integrated field of study that examines the perspectives of a particular society, together with its culture, how the target language is used, and the consequences of language on that society. The relationship between Foreign Language Learning (FLT) and sociolinguistics is significant in various ways. Sociolinguistics is highly connected to second language acquisition (SLA) to the extent that it intensely highlights an understanding of the process of language acquisition. This can be done by providing a broader and more comprehensive aspect of language, either at a verbal or non-verbal level (Rogen, 2002). This is because what a native speaker says may be above the actual meaning.Thus, as well as what is uttered, knowing with whom, where, when, and how to talk (discourse) is a key conceptual issue for a learner to pick out the hidden meaning behind (Kramsch, 1991). This leads the learner to decipher the implications—a more nuanced level of understanding of what is said. Sociolinguistics also highlights another key concept, ‘culture’ where a language comes alive. So, this discipline offers learners a high degree of awareness of "sociolinguistic competence", through which a foreign language learner gets exposed while acquiring values and beliefs in a particular society. Additionally, sociolinguistics facilitates contextual learning, which enables them to efficiently communicate in line with given situations and at an appropriate level of language. This is precisely what Speech Act Theory, which is profoundly founded on communicative competence, including such daily life uses as inviting, ordering, congratulating, and so on, suggests. This study highlights the notion that sociolinguistics enables foreign language learners to acquire a target language realistically and functionally, not only at the word and sentence levels but also at contextual levels. Hence, sociolinguistics allows learners to interact with native speakers through oral and written communication with more confidence.