Introducing Sociolinguistics

by Meyerhoff, Miriam

• ISBN13: 9780415399487
• ISBN10: 0415399483
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-09-22
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

i Introducing Sociolinguistics /i provides a solid, up-to-date appreciation of the interdisciplinary nature of the field. It covers foundation issues, recent advances and current debates-presenting familiar or classic data in new ways, and supplementing the familiar with fresh examples from a wide range of languages and social settings. It clearly explains the patterns and systems that underlie language variation in use, as well as the ways in which alternations between different language varieties index personal style, social power and national identity. Individual chapters cover: Social dialects and individual style. Language attitudes. Politeness Multilingualism and language choice. Real time and apparent time change in language. Social class, social networks and communities of practice Gender Language and dialect contact. Every chapter includes: exercises that enable readers to engage critically with the text; break out boxes making connections between sociolinguistics and linguistic or social theory;and brief, lively add-ons guaranteed to make the book a memorable and enjoyable read. With a full glossary of terms and suggestions for further reading, this text gives students all the tools they need for an excellent command of sociolinguistics.

Table of Contents

List of figures	ix
List of tables	xiii
Sounds and symbols used in the text	xv
Acknowledgements	xix
Maps	xxii
Introduction	1	(7)
Variation and language	8	(19)
Variation and style	27	(27)
Language attitudes	54	(27)
Being polite as a variable in speech	81	(21)
Multilingualism and language choice	102	(25)
Real time and apparent time	127	(28)
Social class	155	(29)
Social networks and communities of practice	184	(17)
Gender	201	(37)
Language contact	238	(27)
Looking back and looking ahead	265	(6)
Notes on the exercises	271	(15)
Glossary	286	(12)
Bibliography	298	(14)
Index	312