The Guidebook to Sociolinguistics

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

Allan Bell is Professor of Language & Communication, and Director of the Institute of Culture, Discourse & Communication at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. He is the Editor of the Journal of Sociolinguistics (Wiley-Blackwell), and of several books on New Zealand English and other languages.

Dedication

Preface

Chapter 1

WHAT ARE SOCIOLINGUISTICS?

1.1 What is language?
1.2 What is a language?
1.3 What then are sociolinguistics?
1.4 Neighbouring fields
1.5 A guide to the Guidebook

Chapter 2

A PROFUSION OF LANGUAGES

2.1 Being multilingual
2.2 Six dimensions of bilingualism
2.3 Three approaches to multilingualism
2.4 Language surveys and censuses
2.5 The case of Canada
2.6 Research activity: a bilingual survey
2.7 Summary
2.8 Further reading

Chapter 3

LANGUAGE SHIFT AND MAINTENANCE

3.1 Introducing language contact
3.2 Language functions
3.3 Shifting languages
3.4 Maintaining and revitalizing languages
3.5 The case for M?ori
3.6 Research activity: doing a project (1) - the setup
3.7 Summary
3.8 Further reading

Chapter 4

LANGUAGE BIRTH AND DEATH

4.1 Pidgins and Creoles
4.2 Where do pidgins and creoles come from?
4.3 The creole continuum
4.4 Language danger and death
4.5 The microlinguistics of dying languages
4.6 The cases of Gaelic and Melanesian
4.7 Research activity: the making of Melanesian Pidgin
4.8 Summary
4.9 Further reading

Chapter 5

CODES AND CHOICES

5.1 Varieties, codes and repertoires
5.2 The speech community
5.3 Diglossia
5.4 Code switching
5.5 The sociolinguistics of code switching
5.6 The case of Oberwart
5.7 Research activity: Observation versus self-report
5.8 Summary
5.9 Further reading

Chapter 6

SITUATED LANGUAGE

6.1 Situations, contexts and domains
6.2 Ethnographies of communication
6.3 Speakers in situ
6.4 Audiences for language
6.5 Speech acts and politeness
6.6 The sociolinguistics of interaction
6.7 Gender and conversation
6.8 The case of slang in Rio
6.9 Research activity: ethnographing the class
6.10 Summary
6.11 Further reading

Chapter 7

VARIATION IN LANGUAGE

7.1 Foundations: New York City
7.2 Class in language
7.3 Ethnicity in language
7.4 Ethnic varieties of English
7.5 Gender in language
7.6 The case of ING
7.7 Research activity: Doing a project (2) – data collection
7.8 Summary
7.9 Further reading

Chapter 8

LANGUAGE IN TIME

8.1 Age in language
8.2 Real time and apparent time
8.3 The linguistics of language change
8.4 Sound change
8.5 The social life of language change
8.6 Markets, networks and communities
8.7 The case of Belten High
8.8 Research activity: language change on the internet
8.9 Summary
8.10 Further reading

Chapter 9

LANGUAGE IN SPACE

9.1 Dialectology
9.2 Making space
9.3 Dialect contact
9.4 Dialect birth
9.5 Dialect death
9.6 The case of colonial Englishes
9.7 Research activity: linguistic landscape
9.8 Summary
9.9 Further reading

Chapter 10

VALUING LANGUAGE

10.1 Ideologies of language
10.2 Language with attitude
10.3 Evaluating individual linguistic variables
10.4 The Indexical Cycle
10.5 Discriminating language
10.6 The case of Bakhtin
10.7 Research activity: doing a project (3) – results and reporting
10.8 Summary
10.9  Further reading

Chapter 11

STYLING LANGUAGE AND IDENTITIES

11.1 Two takes on style
11.2 Audience Design
11.3 Referee Design
11.4 Performing sociolinguistic identities
11.5 The case of Marlene Dietrich
11.6 Research activity: a performance language project
11.7 Summary
11.8 Further reading

Chapter 12

CONCLUSION: THEORETICAL AND APPLIED

12.1 Putting the social into sociolinguistics
12.2 Structure and agency
12.3 Towards a socially constituted sociolinguistics

References

Index

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.