The Guidebook to Sociolinguistics presents a comprehensive introduction to the main concepts and terms of sociolinguistics, and of the goals, methods, and findings of sociolinguistic research. Introduces readers to the methodology and skills of doing hands-on research in this field Features chapter-by-chapter classic and contemporary case studies, exercises, and examples to enhance comprehension Offers wide-ranging coverage of topics across sociolinguistics. It begins with multilingualism, and moves on through language choice and variation to style and identity Takes students through the challenges involved in conducting their own research project Written by one of the leading figures in sociolinguistics
The book explores the three main strands of sociolinguistics – multilingualism, ethnographic-interactional sociolinguistics, and variationist sociolinguistics – covering both macro to micro issues.
This textbook, aimed primarily at beginning undergraduates studying for degrees in English, provides an introduction to a range of sociolinguistic theories and the insights they provide for a greater understanding of varieties of English, past and present. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative approaches to sociolinguistic variation, the book provides a systematic overview of such topics as: * 'English' as a social and as a linguistic concept* The relationship between regional and social dialectology, and their application to the study of English* English historical sociolinguistics, from Old English to late Modern English* Sociolinguistics and change in English* Outcomes of contact involving varieties of English* English and language planning* English, sociolinguistics and linguistic theory.The book contains data drawn from studies of English as it is used around the world. Throughout, there is an emphasis on facilitating a deeper understanding of linguistic variation in English and the soc
Drawing on both qualitative andquantitative approaches to sociolinguistic variation, the book provides a systematic overview of such topics as: * 'English' as a social and as a linguistic concept*The relationship between regional and social ...
Directions in Sociolinguistics is a now classic collection of pioneering essays by leading sociolinguists. It is published here for the first time in paperback and incorporates an extensive new bibliography. The book proceeds from the assumption that we may learn from language as interactional behaviour, illustrating both advances in theoretical insights and changes in research interests. Taking a speaker's communicative competence as a social as well as grammatical fact, this volume is an invaluable compendium of articles by some of the most eminent researchers in Sociolinguistics, and in the sociology and anthropology of language.
Taking a speaker's communicative competence as a social as well as grammatical fact, this volume is an invaluable compendium of articles by some of the most eminent researchers in Sociolinguistics, and in the sociology and anthropology of ...
A union of Cognitive Linguistics and Sociolinguistics was bound to happen. Both proclaim a usage-based approach to language and aim to analyse actual language use in objective ways. Whereas Sociolinguistics is by nature on the outlook forlanguage in its variety, CL can no longer afford to ignoresocial variation in language as it manifests itself in the usagedata. Nor can it fail to adopt an empirical methodology thatreflects variation as it actually occurs, beyond the limitedknowledge of the individual observer. Conversely, while CL canonly benefit from a heightened sensitivity to social aspects, the rich, bottom-up theoretical framework it has developed islikely to contribute to a much better understanding of themeaning of variationist phenomena. This volume brings together fifteen chapters written by prominent scholars testifying of rich empirical and theoretizing research into the social aspects of language variation. Taking a broad view on Cognitive Sociolinguistics, the volume covers three main areas: corpus-based research on language variation, cognitive cultural models, and the ideologies of sociopolitical and socio-economic systems
This volume brings together fifteen chapters written by prominent scholars testifying of rich empirical and theoretizing research into the social aspects of language variation.
This ethnographic study deals with the ways people in Athens, Greece, use style to construct their social class identities. Including a rich dataset comprising ethnographic interviews with actual people who live in the stereotypically seen as leafy and posh northern suburbs and in the stereotypically treated as working class western suburbs of Athens coupled with data from popular literary novels, TV series and Greek hip hop music, it argues that the relationship between style and social class identity is mediated by complex social meanings encompassing features from and discourses relevant to both areas, which are structured across different orders of indexicality depending on the genre of speech in which they are created. As such, it will be of interest to scholars in sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, anthropology, sociology, Modern Greek studies, and to everyone who is interested in how social class is constructed via language.
This ethnographic study deals with the ways people in Athens, Greece, use style to construct their social class identities.
This book brings together twenty-eight important extracts relating to French sociolinguistics. It is divided into four sections: the French language in France today, linguistic diversity in France, French outside France, and French and gender. The extracts have been drawn from a host of sources and have been selected to illustrate a wide range of attitudes and approaches to the role of French in France and elsewhere in the world. Government decrees and circulars, historical analyses, descriptions by contemporary sociolinguistics in Europe and further afield, and documents produced by organisations which exist to protect the French language all appear. The emphasis of the book is upon objective assessment, but also included are official statements and more stridently chauvinistic appraisals. Certain themes occur - particularly the perennial rivalry between English and French, as well as concern that French is losing its influence in many parts of the world and that it is escaping the authoritarian control that used to be exercised on it. A more recent concern is the charge that French is essentially a sexist language to which speakers need to be more and more sensitised.
This book brings together twenty-eight important extracts relating to French sociolinguistics.
Research Methods in Experimental Sociolinguistics is an accessible, user-friendly guide to the variety of different experimental methods used in sociolinguistics. The text steps through the “how-to” of experimental methods used to investigate variation in both speech production and perception. All throughout it is aimed at practice and application. Experimental methods are used to explain and map out causation: these methods are growing in popularity with linguistics and a book mapping these is much needed. Drager's textbook takes the reader from defining the research question through to finding an appropriate research framework through to completing the project. Advice is given on ethics, how to measure production and perception and on how to construct and use corpora in this type of research. Both paid for and free tools are covered as well as statistics in experimental linguistics. The book includes a companion website with information on experiment-friendly software, sample experiments and suggestions for work to undertake.
All throughout it is aimed at practice and application. Experimental methods are used to explain and map out causation: these methods are growing in popularity with linguistics and a book mapping these is much needed.
The authors have taught and researched widely across different areas of sociolinguistics. They also draw on their experience of working in different geographical areas, including the USA, UK and Europe, Australia, southern Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
The authors have taught and researched widely across different areas of sociolinguistics.
The author analyzes, from a historical sociolinguistic point of view, selected domains of morphosyntactic variation in a 250,000 word collection of the Middle English Paston Letters (1421-1503). In three case studies, two nominal and one verbal variable are described and discussed in detail: the replacement of Old English pronouns by borrowed pronouns, the introduction and spread of >wh-relativizers, and the spread and routinization of light verb constructions (take, make, give, have, do plus deverbal noun). While the author aims at a balanced integration of different approaches in sociolinguistics, cognitive linguistics, typology, and language change, the main focus is on social network theory and the role of the linguistic individual in the formation and change of linguistic structures.
The book presents an analysis of selected domains of morphosyntactic variation in a 250,000 word collection of the Middle English Paston Letters (1421-1503) from a historical sociolinguistic point of view.
