Sociolinguistics is the scientific study of the relationship between language and society. It looks at how language is used in social contexts, how it varies within and across communities, and how it changes over time. Sociolinguists study language in all its forms and functions, including spoken and written language, nonverbal communication, and sign language. They also study the social factors that influence language use, such as age, gender, social class, and ethnicity.
Sociolinguistics is an interdisciplinary field that draws on theories and methods from linguistics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, and other social sciences. It has a wide range of applications, including language education, language policy and planning, language acquisition, language variation and change, and the analysis of language in social media and other digital contexts. Sociolinguists often work closely with communities and organizations to understand language use and address language-related issues in practical ways.