A thesis presented for the purpose of obtaining the degree of licence in english language and literature

ABSTRACT,

Language is a mirror of the society.
It's a means of communicationwhich links people to their community, their work and their culture in general.

After a quick literature review which tackled sociolinguistics in its definitions and history, the work " A sociolinguistic Study of the Military Language" closely examined the relationship between language and society. It scrutinized the concept of language variety and, while it had a quick review on the concept of speech community, the work oriented his concentration on the specificities of the military environment and work specificities.

The research related to that work was conducted through a systematic review of the literature in the related fields of sociolinguistics, military history and culture, through interviews and observation, where the sample population consisted od cadets attending the Burundian Military Academy ISCAM ( Institut Supérieur des Cadres Militaires ) during the years 2003-2004.

The findings demonstrated theexistence of a military community and thus that of military language. The work also explored the word formation process of the military language.
At the end, the work displayed a repertoire of the military words and expressions as used in the Burundian military community.