Thus sociolinguistics is far more than an arcane academic field of study; rather, sociolinguistics offers a unique opportunity to make a real difference in society.

Now, for a concrete example that you as students should be able to understand and appreciate. Sociolinguistics has profound implications for teaching and has played a huge role in understanding the poor educational performance of lower-class inner-city children (Labov, 1972). Sociolinguists have found that language is one of the variables that make these children significantly different from the standard culture of the classroom. Sociolinguists believe that the solution is to adapt the school system to the language and learning styles of the majority of students in the inner-city schools.

Of course, teaching is just one area that sociolinguistics touches. For instance, sociolinguists might investigate attitudes towards the proposed English-only Amendment to help policy makers formulate strategies for obtaining support or rejection. or, sociolinguistics might study...
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