Introducing Sociolinguistics

'Fizzing with examples from around the world and presenting cutting-edge theoretical wisdom, this book is an absolute must for all students of sociolinguistics.' David Britain, University of Bern, Switzerland 'This book is my text of choice for undergraduate modules because it introduces all the fundamental aspects of sociolinguistics and LVC, also in multilingual contexts and with varieties other than English. The online resources are great and the students are particularly fond of the glossary with accessible definitions for complex subject matter.' Nanna Haug Hilton, University of Groningen, The Netherlands PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION Here is a welcome introduction to sociolinguistics by a leading researcher in the field. Users will be inspired by the breadth and sweep of Meyerhoffs treatment. William Labov, University of Pennsylvania, USA Although the audience of this textbook . . . is primarily meant to be undergraduates, the exercises are so rich with stimulating ideas that students can develop these into theses . . . Another merit of the book is its coverage of the most recent advances in the field and their connections with theory. Dinha T. Gorgis, Jadara University, Jordan I especially liked the way it includes studies from all over the world not just from English-speaking countries . . . the author presents complex studies in a very clear manner without simplifying too much. Hanne Pernille Anderson, Copenhagen University, Denmark

Miriam Meyerhoff has taught sociolinguistics in places as diverse as New Zealand, Hawaii, the mainland United States, Vanuatu and Scotland. She has consulted on sociolinguistic issues for the print and broadcast media and published books and articles on language variation, language and gender and language contact. She is Professor of Linguistics at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

List of figures; List of tables; Sounds and symbols used in the text; Acknowledgements; Maps; Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2 Variation and language; Chapter 3 Variation and style; Chapter 4 Language attitudes; Chapter 5 Verbal politeness interactional options; Chapter 6 Multilingualism and language choice; Chapter 7 Real time and apparent time; Chapter 8 Social class; Chapter 9 Social networks and communities of practice; Chapter 10 Gender; Chapter 11 Language contact; Chapter 12 Looking back and looking ahead; Notes on the exercises; Glossary; Bibliography; Index