How to

implement
sociolinguistics
in ELT contexts?

By: Yessica Martín

and Luis Jauregui
Dear teacher:

This guide was designed to prevent

teachers from teaching topics without
taking into account the importance of
sociolinguistics. Everyone is a human so
social relationships are always
sorrounding us. To help your learners
become aware of multilingual nations,
language change and shift, different
accents, etc., take a look at this helpfull
guide. The activities are for different
level so there is a variety for teachers.
 Introduction/ 1
Language choice in multilingual
communities/3
Language maintenance and shift/8
Linguistic varieties and
multilingual nations/15
National languages and language
planning/19
Regional and social dialects/24
Gender and age/ 29
Ethnicity and social networks/33
Language change/37
 Style, context and register/42
Speech functions, politeness and
cross-cultural communication/ 47
Gender, politeness and
stereotypes/52
Language, cognition and culture/56
Analysing discourse/60
References/64

ii
 Introduction
Languages are highly complex systems
of communication, so understanding
them requires observation from
multiple fields of study. The fields of
linguistics, such as Phonology or
Semantics, have a focus on the
structure of the language itself and
how it functions at a fundamental
level. However, there is more to
language than just how it exists by
itself, as language has a crucial role in
the social context.
Sociolinguistics is defined as the
science that investigates the aims and
functions of language in society
(Yasemin, 2013).
1
The relationship between language and
society is vast and complicated, so
many different factors become
involved as part of sociolinguistics.

This manual aims to compile material

that can be used for the intent of
teaching sociolinguistic topics in the
language classroom, as it is relevant for
these aspects to be understood in order
to prepare the students for real-life
situations.

2
 Language choice in
multilingual communities

This part covers language choice in

multilingual communities, which is
dictated by aspects such as who you
are talking to, the social context of the
talk, the function and topic of the
discussion (Holmes p.21, 2013).

The first activity consist of an online

meet up with people who are
multilingual. This activity offers the
opportunity to pay attention on why
people choose certain code choices in
this particular domain (Holmes, p.23,
2013). This can allow them to identify
the factors for themselves, or ask them
to other participants.
3
 Language choice in
multilingual communities

4
 Language choice in
multilingual communities

The second activity consist of a reading

which starts by reading a short text
related to the right to use a minority
language in private education. The
students will then proceed to discuss
questions with classmates about the
presence of minority languages in
school.

The reason this is an appropiate

activity is that it makes the student
realize the different between a high
variety and a low variety language, and
why they are used differently (Holmes,
p.27, 2013).

5
Reading

Right to language in
private education
In Bulgaria, the right of minority-language
speakers to study their own language is qualified
by making it subject to the compulsory study of
Bulgarian (Constitution of Bulgaria 1991, article
36). Notably, Turkey's Constitution (1982) bans
instruction in any other language as a native
language at any institution of education, both
public or private, although foreign languages may
be taught as second languages (article 42).

In Bulgaria, the right of minority-

language speakers to study their own
language is qualified by making it
subject to the compulsory study of
Bulgarian (Constitution of Bulgaria
1991, article 36). Notably, Turkey's
Constitution (1982) bans instruction in
any other language as a native language
at any institution of education, both
public or private, although foreign
languages may be taught as second
languages (article 42).

6
7
 Language maintenance and
shift

This chapter will cover the topics of

language maintenance and language
shift, which are topics that can bard to
implement. Language maintenance
refers to the decision of a community
to mantain their language despite the
presence of a more dominant one.
Meanwhile, language shifts denotes the
opposite, as the is instead replaced by
the more prominent one.
The order of domains within certain
groups or individuals differ, but
eventually the language use by the
wider society will displace the
minority languages or mother tongues,
leading to language shift (Holmes, p. 53,
2013). 8
 Language maintenance and
shift

Due to this, the first proposed activity

will have a focus on making the
students question the importance of
English, and the benefits that it can
bring them to them and their families.
This will be done by completing a chart
which contains questions regarding
this topic, which can be used to
illustrate the reasons as to why
someone would shift to another
language; such as the economical
necessity of finding a job (Holmes, p.61,
2013).

9
Language maintenance and
shift

10
 Language maintenance and
shift

For the second activity, the students

will perform a fill-in the gap activity,
which is in a interview of a student in
Canada who comes from Turkey. While
the activity has a focus on asking
questions, the students will be able to
identify certain characteristics of the
circumstances surrounding this case,
and the factors that are influencing
him to learn English in the first place.
There can also be a discussion on how
it would be to be a minority in an
English speaking country, given that
there is pressure to fit in (Holmes, p.54,
2013).

11
Language maintenance and
shift

12
 Language maintenance and
shift

For the final activity, students will read

this story about a refugee from
Afghanistan named Mohammad, and
their experience while living in
England. The primary focus of this
activity is to show students how living
in another can be difficult, and the
importance of adapting to the culture
that it has. Students can also be
encouraged to think wether or not
Mohammad would keep is original
language or not, given that he has no
one to talk to with it on a general basis
(Holmes, p.54, 2013).

13
Language maintenance and
shift

14
 Linguistic varieties and
multilingual nations

Chapter 3 focuses on linguistic

varieties and multilingual nations,
which have interesting language
dynamics, leading to sociolinguistics to
develop a variety of ways to categorize
languages, according to their status
and social functions (Holmes, p.76,
2008).
For the first activity consists of a
matching activity between British and
American English, varieties which are
incredibly known worldwide. This
activity will introduce the concept of
varieties, as well as World Englishes,
varieties of English found around the
world (Holmes, p.80, 2013).

15
Linguistic varieties and
multilingual nations

16
 Linguistic varieties and
multilingual nations

As the second and final activity the

student will learn about more English
speaking countries, followed by a
worksheet with activities related to the
information seen. The majority of
these countries form part of the inner
circle, excluding India which is part of
the outer circle, which allows the
concept of the inner, outer and
expanding circles (Holmes, p.81, 2013).
Thus enhace the learner to get familiar
with dilemmas around the world. It is
essential to understand that English
speaking countries matter and there is
no only one type of English considered
as appropiate.
17
Linguistic varieties and
multilingual nations

18
 National languages and
language planning
This chapter covers national languages
and language planning, two topics
which are relevant in many countries
of the modern world.
Language planning consists of the
progress that a language undergoes in
order to become an official language.

For this topic we designed a sequence

of activities which is centered around a
video regarding the situation of Hindi
becoming a national language in India.
The video shows multiple points of
view and it highlights why this matters
so much to the population of India.

19
 National languages and
language planning

The student will choose the correct

answer, which in the process will
motivate them to know more about the
process of language planning and
language support. The final activity
consists of having a discussion
regarding the situation of Hindi and
allow the students to give their opinion
about wether it is a good idea to let
Hindi become a national language or
not. This kind of activities help the
learners to raise awareness about the
different languages considered as
minority in some cases.

20
Chapter 4: National languages
and language planning
Worksheet

Instructions: Watch the following video. Answer the

questions and choose the correct option.

1.- What is being debated in the video?

a) Should Hindi become a national

language?
b)Is English a treath to language
diversity?
c) Hindi is not a real language.
21
 National languages and
language planning
Worksheet

2.- Does the screen writter think that

Hindi can unite the people of India?
a) He thinks English is more capable of
this.
b) He thinks that Hindi has already united
India.
c) He thinks that no language can
acomphish this.

3.- What is an issue that comes from choosing

Hindi as a national language?
a) There isn’t enough grammar forms
b) The language has too many varieties
c) Hindi is not representative of India

22
National languages and
language planning

Driving questions

What is the importance of keeping your own

language? Do you think it is fair to force someone
to learn a language?

Form teams of 4 and discuss what you think about

the situation of Hindi, and wether or not it is right
to make it into a national language.

23
 Regional and social dialects

This chapter is focused on regional and

social dialects present within
monolingual communities. Regional
dialects are considered to be differences
found in a language that accumulate in
particular geographic regions (Fromkin,
Rodman & Hyams, 2011), while social
dialects are defined by Trudgill as “a
variety or lect which is thought of as
being related to its speakers’ social
background rather geographical
background” (Trudgill 2003: 122).
These type of dialects must be
understood by the students, as it can be
difficult for them to identify these
different dialects as part of English.
24
 Regional and social dialects

With these definitions into account the

first activity is focused on having the
students change some sentences into
standard English, which will help them
identify the differences that exist in
non-standard English. This will be a
good opportunity to have the students
understand that Standard English is not
superior, but rather just a different
social dialect (Holmes, p.140, 2013).

If this is understood, then students will

have a more open mind regarding the
concept of "language correctness" and
instead focus on the capacity to
communicate effectively.
25
Regional and social dialects

26
 Regional and social dialects

For the final activity we have an

opportunity for the students to come to
a conclusion for themselves about
accents and dialects. They will first read
a variety of different comments both
positive and negative, in addition, the
teacher can present the students with
audios that showcase different types of
accents and dialects to experience
them.
It is important for students to accept
accents and dialects, as they exists as a
way for different groups to claim the
language as a way to identify
themselves (Holmes, p.38, 2013).

27
Regional and social dialects

28
 Gender and Age

The way we talk is dictated by many

factors, two of the most notable being
gender and age. It has been observed
that men and women have constrast to
different degrees throughout all
communities (Holmes, p.159. 2013).
Meanwhile, age is important due to the
presence of features which disappear at
a certain age, such as pitch, vocabulary,
pronunciation and grammar (Holmes,
p.156, 2013).
The first activity focuses on analysing
these slight differences in the various
age groups, in therms of language and
how they communicate.

29
Gender and Age

30
 Gender and Age

The final activity is instead focused on

gender, specifically by classiflying
words which are associated with men
and women. These are the result of
societal norms, particularly those which
have sexist connotations.

Students need to identify the presence

of these features in language, as they
need to be able to avoid using language
which is hurtful. There are instances of,
for example, woman being more formal,
but these are not necesarily always
present (Holmes, p168, 2013).

31
Gender and Age

32
Ethnicity and social networks

This chapter covers ethnicity and social

networks, which are related to the ways
in which those belonging to the same
group share the same language features
(Holmes, p186, 2013). These aspects need
to be acknowledged as there are present
throughout all sorts of social groups.

The following activity sequence consist

of a text about globalization of
education and the workplace. The
students will analyze the context and
come to understand how language
would be affected in these social
groups, schools and the workspace.

33
Ethnicity and social networks

This text shows us globalization heavily

affecting social interactions and giving
western ideologies a bigger role. The
students can be guided by the teacher
to ask themselves if globalization can
heavily affect their way of speech, and if
this can cause changes the structure of
your social groups.

Something that the students have to

understand is that when a dominant
language like English appears is that it
is very to take away the identity of a
community, that being its language
(Holmes, p.186, 2013).

34
Ethnicity and social networks

35
Ethnicity and social networks

36
 Language change
Chapter 8 covers language change, the
phenomenom in which language
evolves overtime. Altough, as explained
Holmes (p. 206; 2008), speaker
innovation could be a more accurate
therm, as it is more of a change in the
way that speakers use the language.

The first activity is a matching activity,

which aims to make students analyze
words from old English to words in
Mordern English. This activity will help
them understand how easy it is for
language to change, as it can happen as
soon as an alternative form is available
alongside the current form (Holmes,
p207; 2008).
37
Language change

38
 Language change
The following activity consists of two
parts. On the first part students will
read part of an article regarding how
the English language has changed,
making them reflect on how it has
evolved over the decades. The next
section is a matching activity that
features recently made slang, which
further shows the evolution of the
language.
Appreciating these nuances is highly
important, specially if we highlight the
fact that these changes are directly
related to the influence of other
communities changing established
language norms (Holmes, p.226, 2013).

39
Language change

40
 Language change

Intructions: Match the slangs with the

correct meaning.

Low-key Crazy

Modest, something you

Chill
don’t want emphasized

Cringe Person who does too

much for who he/she likes

Simp Really embarrassing

Nuts Relax

41
 Style, context and register

For chapter 9 the topics of style, context

and register are focused on, which are
heavily related to practical conversation
with others.
The addressees and the context affect our
language and the style we use. These
three aspects are key for the
development of communicative skills in a
social setting, as it varies based on what
it is used for and who are the users, and
according to where it is used
and to whom it is directed at (Holmes,
p.239, 2013).
The following materials are
recommended due to them being focused
on certain expressions that can be used
during conversations.
42
 Style, context and register

First, we have an activity where

students have the opportunity to
identify how certain responses can be
used to show feelings like surprise or
agreement, as well as identifying when
they are suitable and how they are
pronounced.
The primary goal of this section is for
the students to appreciate small details
that really matter during conversation,
since aspects like the relationships
between addresser and the one
addressed or their social distance can
affect the speech style (Holmes, p.240,
2013).

43
Style, context and register

44
 Style, context and register

The second activity consists of

completing the information of a text
based on an audio comparing the way
two students respond during a
conversation. The difference is that one
of them seems less polite because he
gives very short answers. The students
will be able to identify this, and will give
suggestions and act out the
conversation to make his answers more
polite.
This is a very good lesson to give
students, as this sort of practice helps
them be able to answer based on the
basis of audience design, as the
addresse has a key role in dictating how
to respond (Holmes, p.243, 2013).
45
Style, context and register

46
Speech functions, politeness and
cross-cultural communication

The way we talk is heavily influenced

by the context of the situation we are
in, for example, how polite we must be
depending of who we are talking to.
In addition, there needs to be
consideration that rules of behavior
change across different cultures,
meaning that we need to adjust to them
when interacting with people from
other cultures (Holmes, p.292, 2013).
To prepare the students to this topic,
the first activities have a focus on the
differences of formal and informal
language, ending with the students
writing an e-mail for applying for a job.

47
Speech functions, politeness and
cross-cultural communication

48
Speech functions, politeness and
cross-cultural communication

The second suggested consists of

writing an introduction e-mail, first by
reading an example from a teacher to
his class. The begins the writing
process, with several steps of planning
and working with a partner to gather
ideas on how to introduce yourself in an
e-mail. The activity ends with editing
and rewriting to finish the final
product, allowing the students to
improve their final product. This
activity serves to practice their ability
use the speech of functions, by being
referential about themselves and being
phatic to be polite (Holmes, p.249, 2013).

49
Speech functions, politeness
and cross-cultural
communication

50
Speech functions, politeness
and cross-cultural
communication

51
 Gender, politeness and
stereotypes
Gender stereotypes are everpresent in
society, as such it is necessary to
prepare students to identify them and
come to understand why they exist.
The topic of ‘women’s language’ is also
relevant to consider, as it has been
observed to be more polite or different
in many ways (Holmes, p.301. 2023).

The first activity covers the use of

vocabulary that is associated with men
and women, indicating if they are
positive or negative. This exercise how
language can be used to construct
gender ideas based on our experiences
and percepcion (Holmes, p.320, 2013).

52
Gender, politeness and
stereotypes

53
 Gender, politeness and
stereotypes
The second activity consist of more
associations that we make relating to
men and women. First, by associating
more vocabulary on wether it describes
men or women more, and then by
drawing something that is “not
stereotypical of boys or girls”.

Everyone has at least a certain degree of

gendered ideas, by considering certain
vocabulary or adjectives to be more
feminine or masculine (Holmes, p321,
2013). Having the students realize these
perceptions that they have will make
them reflect on their positive and
negative uses of gender ideas.

54
Gender, politeness and
stereotypes

55
 Language, cognition and
culture
This chapter deals with the relation
between language cognition and
culture, as language is often built on
social constructs to build aspects that
define us, like our age, gender, or
ethnicity (Holmes, p.337, 2013).

The first exercise consists of reading

two texts and analysing various aspects
of its discourse. These two texts are
developed in a way that it shows
cultural significance of the speaker and
the context, altering also our
percepcion by using the language in the
second example through humour
(Holmes, p.328, 2013).

56
Language, cognition and
culture

57
 Language, cognition and
culture
The second activity consists of an
analysis of the conversation structure
that is present within a conversation.
The students will also take notice of the
presence of culture in the content,
while at the same time there seems to
be a lack of cultural identity in their
speech.

This activity is used to make the

students analyze their perceptions of
how language can affect our view based
on our language, as grammar and
cognition are altered based on our
mother tongue (Holmes, p.345, 2013).

58
Language, cognition and
culture

59
 Analysing Discourse

The final chapter covers discourse

analysis, the concept of taking a closer
look at interactions and seeing the
different components at play. This is
done by analyzing aspects such as
pragmatics, the meaning of words in
context (Holmes, p.365, 2o13).
In the first activity we have various
tasks in relation to question tags, which
are often use to trigger a respond
during a conversation. This is
something that is included in the
cooperative principle, in which the
people are not asking for information
but soliciting a response (Holmes, p365,
2013).

60
Analysing Discourse

61
 Analysing Discourse

The second activity is based on showing

sympathy through the use of specific
language features. This is something
that the students have to indentify and
learn, as it is an important part of
making discourse properly work.

This is an activity which deals with

politeness, as the use of certain
vocabulary or phrases are strategies
used in discourse (Holmes, p.368, 2013).

62
Analysing Discourse

63
 References
1.- ABC of Education and Training. Language and Gender
exercises - upto AS level. Recovered from tes, at:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/language-and-
gender-exercises-upto-as-level-11389202

2.- ELTBuzz. Gender Stereotypes - Activities. Recovered

from: https://resources.eltbuzz.com/T7P

3.- ESLprintables.com (2009). American English/British

English worksheet. Recovered from:
https://www.eslprintables.com/vocabulary_worksheets/cul
ture_and_traditions/american_british_english/American
_English_British_Engli_332625/

4.- ESLprintables.com (2009). Gender Stereotypes

worksheet. Recovered from:
https://www.eslprintables.com/vocabulary_worksheets/cul
ture_and_traditions/stereotypes/Gender_Stereotypes_2
17627/

5.- Headway Intermediate 5th Edition Student Book.

6.- Headway Pre-intermediate 5th Edition Worbook

Without Key.

7.- My Learning. Investigating Language Change.

Recovered from:
https://www.mylearning.org/resources/investigating-
language-change-activity
8.- Maynard, M.; Wisniewska, I.; Forstrom, J.; Pitt,
M.; Velasco, S. (2010). McGraw Hill Education:
Outstanding English First Edition.

9.- Person Languages (2020). Recovered from:

Person, in:
https://www.pearson.com/languages/community/bl
ogs/2020/06/how-the-english-language-has-
changed-over-the-
decades.html#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20t
he%20word%20'courting,has%20become%20t
oday's%20'radio'.

10.- Ruthccohen. Attitudes to different accents and

dialects. Recovered from:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-
resource/attitudes-to-different-accents-and-
dialects-11065144

11.- Tomlinson, J.; Waring, R.; Woodall (2009).

Sequenes, Student Book 4, 2nd Edition.

12.- Yasemin. B. (2013). Current Perspectives on

Sociolinguistics and English Language Education.
Bogazici University, Faculty of Education,
Foreign Language Education, Istanbul, 69-78.