An introduction to sociolinguistics

Sociolinguistics is the study of the interaction between language and society. In this classic introductory work, Janet Holmes examines the role of language in a variety of social contexts and considers both how language works and how it can be used to signal and interpret various aspects of social identity. Written with Holmes' customary enthusiasm, the book is divided into three sections which explain basic sociolinguistic concepts in the light of both classic approaches and the most recent research. Section A examines the varying patterns of language use within multilingual speech communitiesand considers the ways in which languages change within society, highlighting the factors that can lead to language displacement and, sometimes, to language death. Section B explores some of the social reasons behind language variation in monolingual communities and looks at the ways in which different ethnic, gender and social groups develop and maintain speech variations. The relationship between language variation and language change is also described. Section C assesses how attitudes to language affect speech behaviour and shows that appropriate linguistic responses take account of a variety of contextual factors – for example, the relative status of addresser and addressee. - Publisher.