Sociolinguistics and Language Learning in a Study Abroad Context

This article will focus on the acquisition of sociolinguistic competence
by second language learners during a period of study abroad.
Various aspects of sociolinguistic competence will be discussed and some
of the principal factors which affect it will be described. Factors which
affect sociolinguistic competence emerging from research in the area of
study abroad include some which are central to the acquisition of second
languages in general: context of acquisition, level of proficiency, degree of
contact with native speakers, role of input, individual differences and the
issue of native speaker norms. The research described will outline what we
know about the sociolinguistic and sociocultural aspects of study abroad.
The literature which exists to date on this aspect of second language
acquisition (SLA) will be reviewed, including both quantitative and qualitative
studies. Finally, we will address the question of the benefits (if any)
of studying abroad for the acquisition of sociolinguistic and sociocultural
competence. Where possible, an attempt will be made to see how this
experience compares with that of learners who have not been abroad. Some
of the studies to be discussed in this article were carried out with the
explicit intention of focusing on the sociolinguistic area (Marriott 1995;
Regan 1995; and Siegal 1995). There are also other year abroad studies
which, although not focusing specifically on the sociolinguistic aspects of
the process, nevertheless reveal further information about what happens
during a study abroad period, for example, Lafford (1995) and Lapkin,
Hart and Swain (1995). Various aspects of the acquisition of sociolinguistic
competence are addressed in these articles.