Sociolinguistics and Second

Language Acquisition
Cahyo Setiyo Budiono
Saiko Rudi Kasenda
Fallianda
Sociolinguistics

• Sociolinguistic is the study of our everyday lives –

how language works in our casual conversations and
the media we are exposed to and the presence of
societal norms, policies, and laws which address
language. (Wardaugh, 2014, p.1)
Second Language Acquisition

• The study of second language acquisition involves

understanding what bilinguals know about their
second language and how they acquire and use it.
(Young, 1999, p.105)
Sociolinguistics and Applied Linguistics
(Second Language Acquisition)

• McKay and Hornberger (1996) divide the field of

sociolinguistics and applied linguistics (part. SLA)
into four related areas:
(1) Studies of language and society
(2) Studies of language variation
(3) Studies of language and interaction
(4) Studies of language and culture
(Young, 1999, p.105)
 Second Language Acquisition Research

Second Language Acquisition

• The users learn L2 in a naturalistic condition,
e.g.: in a neighbourhood, workplace, etc.
• It views language as a ‘social fact.’ This view
privileges functional and meaningful language
use, e.g.: ordering food in a restaurant, etc.

Second Language Learning

Second Language Teaching
• It is the choice as to the best, the most
appropriate, the most effective way of
teaching a language with important
implications not just for classroom
teaching, but for materials and
curriculum design, for teacher
education, and for educational policy
making in general.
• The users learn L2 in a formal
instructional condition, e.g.:
in a second, foreign, or
heritage language classroom,
etc.
• It views language as a ‘rule-
governed system.’ It is
responsible for learners’
grammar ability.
Language Teaching Methodology

• Simpson , J has updated at least ten dimensions of methods from

Stern (1983, 1992) and Richards and Schmidt, 2002).
a. The nature of language (the formal vs functional dimension)
b. The nature of second language learning (the analytical vs
experiental dimension)
c. Goals and objectives in teaching (the accuracy vs fluency
dimension)
d. The type of syllabus to use (the systems vs skills dimension)
e. The role of teachers, learners, instructional materials (the
cognitive vs affective dimension)
f. The activities, techniques, and proceduresto use (the cross-
lingual vs intralingual dimension)
The Connections between Second Language
Learning and Teaching
• It can be seen from the choice of language learning
methods/methodology.
• Grammar-Translation Method (Larsen-Freeman) assumes a
formal view of language, where intellectual effort rather than
affective engagement, is encouraged and where cross-lingual
activities (e.g.translation) are prominent.
• Task-Based Learning Method (Prabhu, 1987) adopts a
functional view of a language which is likely to articulate its
goals in terms of communicative fluency.
 SLA research have interdisciplinary
connections with bilingualism,
multilingualism, psycholinguistics,
education, anthropology, and sociology.
Example of researches:

Akynove, et al. (2012). Code Switching and Second Language

Acquisition in Educational Space of Kazakhstan (p. 224)

• The study addresses the attitudes of Kazahstan students towards

Kazakhs-English code switching
• It also discusses the role and the place of English in linguistic
space of Kazakhstan.
• The results revealed that the attitudes of students towards
Kazakh-English code switching were positive in general.
• The findings demonstrate that code switching facilitates second
language acquisition in educational space of Kazakhstan
Example of research on sociolinguistics and second
language teaching:
Kirkpatrick, A. (2007). Teaching English across cultures: What do English
language teachers need to know to know how to teach English? English
Australia Journal Volume 23 No 2
• This article discusses two different educational contexts: the Indonesian
culture-based English project and the Hong Kong situation.
• In this article I shall consider whether it is possible to determine the
skills and attributes required by English language teachers.
• This article describes: (1) how an Australian-funded research project
into the development of culturally appropriate ELT materials for
Indonesian tertiary students and (2) what the implications of Hong
Kong’s trilingual language policy and how English teachers should teach
in Hong Kong’s government schools.
Lien, T. 2014. Discourse-based Syllabus For Teaching Literature To Efl
Learners In Vietnam. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, Vol. 3 No.2,
pp. 128-139
Conclusion on SLA:
• Based on Krashen’s point of view on SLA, He defines
Acquisition-Learning as an unconcious-concious
process of acquiring language. They are two
independent ways to develop our linguistic skills,
either meaning or structures.
• While, in describing language teaching, researchers
argued that methodological choices are contingent
on higher decisions at the level of principles and
beliefs. The choice will either lead to the process of
formal or informal methods in teaching a language.
Thank you for the attention…
Any question so far?