An Introduction to English Sociolinguistics

Designed for beginning undergraduates studying for degrees in English, this textbook provides an introduction to a range of sociolinguistic theories and the insights they provide for a greater understanding of varieties of English, past and present. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative approaches to sociolinguistic variation, the book provides a systematic overview such topics as: *'English' as a social and as a linguistic concept*English speech communities*Social and regional dialectology in relation to varieties of English*English historical sociolinguistics, from Old English to late Modern English*Sociolinguistics and change in English*Outcomes of contact involving varieties of English*English and language planning*English, sociolinguistics and linguistic theory.The book contains data drawn from studies of English as it is used around the world. Throughout, there is an emphasis on facilitating a deeper understanding of linguistic variation in English and the social, political and cultural contexts in which speakers and writers of English operate

Author: Graeme Trousdale
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Published: 04/30/2010
Pages: 168
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.40w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9780748623259

About the Author

Graeme Trousdale is Professor of Cognitive Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh. Graeme's publications include Constructionalization and Constructional Changes, as co-author (OUP, 2016), New Directions in Grammaticalization Research, as co-editor (John Benjamins, 2015) and The Oxford Handbook of Construction Grammar, as co-editor (OUP, 2013).