In many parts of the world the language education scenario is increasingly dynamic, as demographic, economic and social changes powerfully influence socio-political agendas in the sphere of language education. These in turn impact on complex issues such as linguistic pluralism, multiculturalism, and marginalization. This is especially so in the sphere of second language education where local, national and regional concerns often dominate the objectives underpinning policy choice and prioritisation.<BR> This volume brings together scholars and researchers from a wide range of different educational contexts and turns a sociolinguistic lens on some of the key areas of concern for researchers in language education: critical awareness of power and identity issues; competence in dealing with new sociolinguistic repertoires, modalities and literacies; ethical concerns for all who are involved. The 'case study' approach enables the reader to reflect on and critically engage with these issues in a rich variety of contextual situations, and the volume as a whole provides a useful overview of (second) language education in the world today.
This is especially so in the sphere of second language education where local, national and regional concerns often dominate the objectives underpinning policy choice and prioritisation.
The study of languages with a bias towards the written form, Sociolinguistics, Language, and Society serves as a corrective by highlighting speech variations, dialects, signs, and by generally exploring the relationship between language and society in a wide sociolinguistics framework. The eleven original papers present empirical research from various countries including Malta, Germany, the Channel Islands, the United States, and Britain. The topics discussed cover a wide and exciting range such as the importance of the phenomenological approach in sociolinguistics; the study of the 18th century Welsh gravestones as a way of rediscovering forgotten dialect features; the use of different forms of address in Malta to establish relationships; the role of fingerspelling in British Sign Language; and the retention of mother tongue among immigrant groups. This collection enlarges the context of traditional sociolinguistic research and presents linguists with a variety of challenges by raising issues which are relevant to an understanding of the constant interaction between language and society. Sociolinguistics, Language, and Society will be of interest to practitioners and students of sociolinguistics, linguistic theory, cultural studies, and communication studies.
This collection enlarges the context of traditional sociolinguistic research and presents linguists with a variety of challenges by raising issues which are relevant to an understanding of the constant interaction between language and ...
Fully indexed and with a comprehensive introduction, this is an essential work of reference and is destined to be welcomed by scholars and students alike as a vital one-stop research resource. It provides key ideas, findings, methods and approaches that make up the interdisciplinary field of sociolinguistics.
Fully indexed and with a comprehensive introduction, this is an essential work of reference and is destined to be welcomed by scholars and students alike as a vital one-stop research resource.
