ABSTRACT
This chapter covers current developments in sociolinguistics, discussing how they can be brought to bear on language education. Positioned within a post-multilingualist framework, it draws on recent advances in the conceptualization of languages as repertoires of resources which reflect speakers’ life course and which speakers mobilize to communicate and position themselves socially and contextually. It focuses on the intersection of these novel perspectives with language ideologies, multilingualism, and language policy and planning. It formulates some central questions for current scholarship in the field and reviews recent research works in these areas. Examples are drawn from studies of language policing in mainstream and complementary schools in England and efforts in Cyprus to develop new language curricula that integrate sociolinguistic considerations as a key guiding principle for teaching and learning. The chapter also presents methods that have been proven fruitful in exploring sociolinguistic topics in educational settings. It offers recommendations for practice emphasizing the importance of researcher positionality and reflexivity and identifies two specific avenues for future work in the field: (1) decolonizing (socio)linguistics and language education and (2) developing programmes for educating educators and their learners on elements of (socio)linguistics.
