Nurturing Sociolinguistic Competence in Pakistani ELT Context through Teachers: Practices, Perspectives, and Practicalities

Abstract

Sociolinguistic competence or the appropriate use of language in different social scenarios is a construct that depends on such social variables as age, gender, class, and ethnicity as well as on different socioeconomic categories too. Teachers have a vital role to play in developing both receptive as well as productive sociolinguistic competence in any society, especially where English is a second language. The present research aimed at investigating public sector school teachers’ perceptions and practices regarding sociolinguistic competence in Pakistan. In terms of sociolinguistic competence, the study has a special focus on context-appropriate grammar and vocabulary usage.  The study consisted of two phases, in the first phase perceptions and practices of school teachers were analyzed using the works of Jianda (2006), Abedi (2016), and Blum-Kulka & Olshtain (1981). In the second phase, building upon the findings, various training sessions were conducted in the Twin Cities of Pakistan to identify the hurdles and suggest practical solutions for the development of sociolinguistic competence among English language learners. The findings indicated that the unawareness of English culture is the major reason for cultural instruction failure in English language learning lessons. Also, by using feasible and cost-effective measures we can develop the sociolinguistic competence of English language learners at public sector schools.