Sociolinguistics examines how social factors influence language use. Some key social factors that impact language choices are the participants in an interaction, the setting or social context, and the topic being discussed. Sociolinguists study language variation according to social dimensions like solidarity and social distance; status; formality; and referential and affective functions. The goal of sociolinguistic analysis is to describe linguistic variation, identify the social factors that influence language choices, and develop theories to explain why these variations occur.