The study of the way a language is used in conversation is a very important part of sociolinguistics. Other than being a means of communication, language is an important means of establishing and maintaining relationships with other people. Children always learn two aspects of a language: the grammar, pronunciation, and vocabularies; and the use of the language in conversational interaction so as to establish the social relationships. The conversation must not be random; it should be structured as it consists of structured, rule-governed, sequences of different types of utterance.
All the societies have rules governing the use of language in social interaction. However, these rules vary widely depending on the society. The study of these rules constitutes “ethnography of speaking”. Taking telephone conversation for instance, Japanese culture expects the caller to speak first while the English culture expects the answerer to speak first. Cultural differences often lead to misunderstandings and even hostility in cross-cultural communications. Difficulties in communication can always arise even if the cultures are not very different. It is a common feeling by the Northern Europeans that the Americans are noisy and dominating. Indirectness is another conversational strategy used among cultures. If interpreted correctly, indirectness can help in avoiding friction and antagonism especially in heavily hierarchical societies.
The use of several languages (multilingualism) within a community or a country also plays a role. It normally results into problems especially for the governments and other national organizations. It also results into problems of group minorities and majorities. Unlike the members of the majority-language group, members of the linguistic minority are forced to acquire at least two languages so that they may have the national image. To a child, imposition of an alien language is very frustrating. This results into attempts to wipe out the whole culture. It is therefore very important to incorporate all the languages, both minority and majority, in the education system. To an individual, the problem of multilingual situation can be minimized through political independence, or through educational programmes and policies.
