Overview
This accessible new textbook provides a clear introduction to sociolinguistics, the study of why we speak the way we do, and the social factors that influence our linguistic decisions. Based on the notion of 'choice' - that as speakers we select from the options open to us - it provides a solid theoretical framework to deal with the most fascinating characteristic of language: its variability and diversity. Topics covered include dialects, gender and age specific speech forms, professional jargons, diglossia, bilingualism, code-switching, pidgin languages, and language planning, all of which are unified by the common theme that speakers, by making choices, create their language. Drawing on linguistic variation from a wide range of societies and their languages, this is set to become a key text for all students of sociolinguistics, and will be welcomed by anyone interested in the complex interaction between language and society.
Full Product Details
Author: Florian Coulmas (German Institute for Japanese Studies, Tokyo)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Imprint: Cambridge University Press (Virtual Publishing)
ISBN: 9780511815522
ISBN 10: 0511815522
Publication Date: 05 June 2012
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Undefined
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
'In this state-of-the-art introduction to the field of sociolinguistics, Florian Coulmas' considerable breadth and depth of knowledge is not worn on his sleeve but organised into a pacey and accessible series of thirteen chapters. ... I thoroughly commend Coulmas' volume as work of tremendous scholarship and synthesis ... His reading is as up-to-date as one can hope for ... and his analysis is intelligent, reasoned and humane.' Journal of Sociolinguistics 'For beginning students, it is an excellent start; for linguistics, it is a useful statement of what a sociolinguist has learned over a long and productive career.' Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development
'In this state-of-the-art introduction to the field of sociolinguistics, Florian Coulmas' considerable breadth and depth of knowledge is not worn on his sleeve but organised into a pacey and accessible series of thirteen chapters. … I thoroughly commend Coulmas' volume as work of tremendous scholarship and synthesis … His reading is as up-to-date as one can hope for … and his analysis is intelligent, reasoned and humane.' Journal of Sociolinguistics 'For beginning students, it is an excellent start; for linguistics, it is a useful statement of what a sociolinguist has learned over a long and productive career.' Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development 'This textbook offers a detailed, yet varied, introduction to the theory of Sociolinguistics, working from a micro-perspective and building towards macro-approaches to the study of language variation and change.' Erin Carrie, Journal of Language and Politics
Author Information
Florian Coulmas is Director of the German Institute of Japanese Studies, Tokyo.
