| The etymological breakdown of the term | | | | of Other Languages), ELT (English Language |
| socio-linguistics into “socio” (a lexical combining | | | | Teaching), SLA (Second Language Acquisition) etc. |
| form to mean the relationship with society) and | | | | are all mostly grounded on sociolinguistics though |
| “linguistics”(the systematic study of language | | | | psycholinguistic factors are also occupied there. A |
| which is a means of communication) makes it obvious | | | | second/foreign language (SL/FL) teacher has to |
| that it is the linguistic study under the pretext of the | | | | consider all the surrounding social factors of his/her |
| society. Whenever a linguist starts relating language | | | | students (age, class, culture, gender, religion and so on) |
| variations and choices in interpersonal and | | | | to make them internalize the target language (TL) |
| intercommunal communicationswith various social | | | | along with its inevitable correlating culture. It is not a |
| circumstances, say, distinct social classes, variant | | | | good idea for an FL/SL teacher of English in |
| cultural andacademic backgrounds, age, gender, | | | | Bangladesh to provide his/her adolescent students |
| ethnicity and so on, he steps into the domains of | | | | lessons covering the topic “ homosexuality” |
| sociolinguistic studies involving the extensive | | | | which is culturally abominable here but quite acceptable |
| field-exploration oriented practicability of this | | | | in the western context of English language. SL/FL |
| conspicuous branch of applied linguistics in the | | | | teachers of |
| interexchanging political, economical and cultural | | | | English can present lessons on less controversial but |
| phenomena of society. | | | | universally important social issueslike wedlock, finance, |
| Sociolinguistics is politically important when it involves | | | | sports, shopping etc. associating contrastive and |
| the analysis of regional andsocial dialects and | | | | complementarylinguistic items of the first language (L1) |
| codification of a language leading towards the | | | | of the students and the TL.A translator must |
| standardization of itreflecting attribution of power in the | | | | besociolinguistically alert in translating the text of the |
| society. The sociolinguistic analysis ofphonological | | | | source language (SL) into the text ofthe target |
| ,grammatical, lexical, discoursal, pragmatic and semantic | | | | language (TL) for the total comprehensibility of his |
| aspects helps todig up the political intention of the | | | | target readers. Thus,sociolingistics is essentially |
| politicians. The language that Bangladesh Nationalist | | | | contributive to the educational sectors of a society. |
| Party (BNP), one of the two major political parties of | | | | Sociolinguistc knowledge also subscribes to ethnical |
| Bangladesh uses differs from the language of Awami | | | | and cultural studies and observations. Just Like |
| League (AL), the other one, phonologically, lexically, | | | | professor Higgins of Bernard Shaw’ s |
| syntactically,semantically, pragmatically and discoursally | | | | “Pygmalion” (1916) a sociolinguist can trace out |
| reflecting the distinct polito-pationateagendas of ruling | | | | the social backgrounds by only listening to the |
| the country of the these two parties which can be a | | | | interlocutors’ accents .It, therefore, smoothens the |
| concern ofsociolinguistics. The existing leaders of the | | | | path of anthropological studies. When a sociolinguist |
| both parties either consciously orsubconsciously | | | | conducts any synchronic study of language shift of |
| attempt to echo in different degrees the discrete | | | | some linguistic community or communities or when he |
| phonological stresses andintonations of the spoken | | | | conducts the diachronic study of language change of |
| discourse of the two deceased cardinal leaders of | | | | anylinguistic community the study of culture blended |
| theserespective parties besides using the vocabulary | | | | with historicity becomes unavoidable. |
| and syntactic items of distinct specialties. | | | | The sociolinguistic research of the tribal languages of |
| Sociolinguistic researches would help to identify such | | | | Bangladesh is doubtlesslybeneficial for the springing up |
| variations which could enhance the instrospection not | | | | of the ethnical and anthropological studies of the |
| only of the political experts but also of the common | | | | Bangladeshi tribes .The sociolinguistic study of the |
| politically concerned crowd of the country to reach | | | | language (the study of code-switching, code-mixing, |
| towards a befitting political conclusion. Moreover, the | | | | language variation etc.) reflected in media and |
| more the political leaders are sociolinguistically aware | | | | entertainmentrenders a comprehensive projection of |
| the more they deliver contextually appropriate | | | | the indigenous culture of a linguistic community. The |
| speeches to convince the people of different | | | | language of a documentary or commercial film of |
| communal entities to grant their political agendas. A | | | | certain nation has to irrevocablymanifest the linguistic |
| political leader should not deliver a speech in dialect in a | | | | habit of the social community being presented which |
| political gathering of urban elite but his use of dialects | | | | would bearundeniably distinct linguistic identity very |
| and specific accents related to the dialect he attempts | | | | much unlike of the other social communitiesof the |
| to present through his speech would definitely be | | | | same country. Often, a united multi-communal picture |
| helpful to win the consent of the maximum people of a | | | | of a specific territorialcontext is presented along with |
| mass gathering of a dialect - specific area. | | | | the corresponding linguistic usage. For instance, the |
| Sociolinguistics is necessarily applicable in the economic | | | | plotof a commercial film may project a inter-woven |
| fields of the society. Beingan important means of | | | | picture of conflict and exchange of theupper class and |
| marketing, advertisements of various productions | | | | lower class of an in-territorial society whereas the plot |
| contain differentclaims with different linguistic forms | | | | of a socialdocumentary film might represent the picture |
| addressing to varied target audiences of differentages, | | | | of a single society. The sociolingustic knowledge |
| genders, classes and conditions. The wording | | | | (institutional or non-institutional) of the scriptwriter would |
| “squeeze me to blow up my balloonand press | | | | make him put appropriate vernacular to the |
| button in my head to hear me sound with musical | | | | appropriate linguistic community he intends to present. |
| sound” is definitely addressed to the child | | | | Asociolinguistically concerned professional is particular |
| consumers of toys .On the other hand, “banish gray | | | | in using occupational linguisticitems as required by the |
| hair” would be the commercial text for the | | | | context severed from the non-occupational ones. A |
| consumers being in their middle age onwards. “X | | | | linguistwould not necessarily use the language he uses |
| shampoo leaves your hair silky clean –and | | | | in delivering an academic lecture in international |
| beautifully manageable as well” is generally | | | | conferences at home with his wife. |
| targeted to the young, beauty-conscious female | | | | Being based on empiricism sociolingistics has en bloc |
| addresses. Sociolinguists are there in this regard to | | | | extensions to the enhancementof different |
| open more scopes for linguistic approaches of | | | | socio-phenomena, which is expectantly inevitable and |
| marketing along with the research for the existing | | | | duly overlapping. |
| ones. Again, the language of some trade agreement | | | | Though there are the scopes of these extensions to |
| might have some hiddentarget of financial exploitation. | | | | be outstretched from the boundaries ofsociolingustics |
| A propagandized report of economy might hatch | | | | to be led to the connected disciplinary studies, |
| somethreat against the sovereignty of a nation for the | | | | sociolinguistics, infact ,eminently plays the role of the |
| future. Socilinguists are also therealongside with the | | | | fountainhead. |
| economic specialists to detect so to assist the | | | | Bibliography |
| corresponding authorityin disentangling economic | | | | 1.Richards, J.Platt, J and Weber, H.Longman Dictionary |
| complexities. | | | | of Applied Linguistics.UK: Longman, 1985. |
| Sociolinguistics is also very much crucial at the | | | | 2.Shaw, Bernard.Pygmalion.London: Penguin, 1916. |
| academic sectors of the society. Theacademic | | | | 3.Wardhaugh, Ronald.An Introduction to |
| branches TESOL (Teaching English to the Speakers | | | | Sociolinguisctis.Oxford: Blackwell, 1986. |