G. Richard Tucker - Böcker

Sociolinguistics: The Essential Readings is a collection of classic articles that have helped define the field of sociolinguistics and provide the foundation for future research, paired with more recent articles which indicate the direction the field has taken. Offers a collection of classic articles that helped to define the field of sociolinguistics paired with more contemporary articles. Contextualizes the history of the subject matter and helps students understand the progression of intellectual development in the field. Includes an editorial introduction written by two prominent researchers in the field, as well as recommendations for further readings.

In many parts of the world, it is common for a child to grow up speaking a local language at home, another in the market place, adding another to his repertoire as a "lingua franca", and then adding a language of wider communication such as English or French if he continues his formal schooling. The contributions to the volume examine in some detail diverse aspects of second language education, ranging from a focus on the basic contributions of linguistic theory and research to our understanding of second language learning and teaching, to a series of reviews of innovative language education practices in selected regions of the world. For the purposes of this volume, second language education has been defined operationally to encompass education which occurs in those settings and situations in which a dominant language is offered as a second language (for example, ESL in England or the United States whether as a subject of study or a vehicle through which other material is studied), as well as those cases in which an official, but not necessarily dominant, language is mandated (for example, French or English in certain parts of the Middle East or the Mahgreb).The contributions also focus mainly, although not exclusively, on second language education for school-aged learners.

In many parts of the world, it is common for a child to grow up speaking a local language at home, another in the market place, adding another to her repertoire as a lingua franca, and then adding a language of wider communication such as English or French if she continues her formal schooling. The contributions to this volume examine in some detail diverse aspects of second language education, ranging from a focus on the basic contributions of linguistic theory and research to our understanding of second language learning and teaching on the one hand, to a series of reviews of innovative language education practices in selected regions of the world on the other.For the purposes of this volume, second language education has been defined operationally to encompass education which occurs in those settings and situations in which a dominant language is offered as a second language, for example ESL in England or the United States whether as a subject of study or a vehicle through which other material is studied), as well as those cases in which an official, but not necessarily dominant, language is mandated, for example French or English in certain parts of the Middle East or the Mahgreb). The contributions also focus mainly, albeit not exclusively, on second language education for school-aged learners.

This volume documents a sixteen-year longitudinal study of two elementary schools in which Spanish and Japanese foreign language programs were implemented and evaluated. Evaluation of the programs involved documenting children’s language development, assessing the attitudes of various constituents, and examining critical issues related to the introduction and successful operation of a well articulated sequential foreign language program in schools. The volume concludes with a discussion of possible reasons why over time certain sequential foreign language programs flourish and grow while other programs are reduced or eliminated from the school’s curriculum. Parallels with the theory and practice of environmental sustainable development are used as a framework for this analysis.