Inactive Tutor answered 04/06/25
The role that language, and particularly language variation, plays in society influences language teaching and learning significantly. For example, in the field of sociolinguistics William Labov proved that stigmatized, non-prestigious varieties of English are just as rule-governed as prestigious varieties (i.e. the kind typically spoken by newscasters, CEO's and professors). Yet only the most standard, prestigious varieties of the language are taught in schools.