Sociolinguistic Perspectives: Papers on Language in Society, 1959-1994 (Oxford Studies in Sociolinguistics)

The work of the linguist Charles A. Ferguson spans more than three decades, and is remarkable for having been consistently at the forefront of scholarship on the relationship between language and society. This volume collects his most influential and seminal papers, each having expanded the parameters of sociolinguistics and the sociology of language. Taken together, they cover a wide range of topics and issues, and, more importantly, reflect the intellectual progress of a founder of the sociolinguistic field. The volume is divided thematically into four sections, and an introduction by Thom Huebner outlines the evolution of Ferguson's ideas and the impact they have had on other scholars. This book is essential reading for everyone interested in the field of sociolinguistics. Contents......Page 10 Introduction......Page 14 Part I: Speech Communities and Language Situations......Page 28 1. Diglossia (1959)......Page 36 2. Language Development (1968)......Page 51 3. The Role of Arabic in Ethiopia: A Sociolinguistic Perspective (1970)......Page 59 4. Religious Factors in Language Spread (1982)......Page 70 5. Literacy in a Hunting-Gathering Society: The Case of the Diyari (1987)......Page 80 6. South Asia as a Sociolinguistic Area (1991)......Page 95 Part II: Register and Genre......Page 108 7. Baby Talk in Six Languages (1964)......Page 114 8. Absence of Copula and the Notion of Simplicity: A Study of Normal Speech, Baby Talk, Foreigner Talk and Pidgins (1971)......Page 126 9. The Collect as a Form of Discourse (1976)......Page 135 10. The Structure and Use of Politeness Formulas (1976)......Page 144 11. Sports Announcer Talk: Syntactic Aspects of Register Variation (1983)......Page 159 12. Genre and Register: One Path to Discourse Analysis (1985)......Page 178 Part III: Variation and Change......Page 188 13. The Sociolinguistic Variable (s) in Bengali: A Sound Change in Progress? (with Afia Dil) (1979)......Page 192 14. Standardization as a Form of Language Spread (1987)......Page 200 15. From ESSES to AITCHES: Identifying Pathways of Diachronic Change (1990)......Page 211 16. Then They Could Read and Write (1990)......Page 227 17. Individual and Social in Language Change: Diachronic Changes in Politeness Agreement in Forms of Address (1991)......Page 238 18. Variation and Drift: Loss of Agreement in Germanic (1991)......Page 252 Part IV: Language Planning......Page 272 19. The Language Factor in National Development (1962)......Page 278 20. On Sociolinguistically Oriented Language Surveys (1966)......Page 283 21. Sociolinguistic Settings of Language Planning (1977)......Page 288 22. National Attitudes Toward Language Planning (1979)......Page 306 23. Conventional Conventionalization: Planned Change in Language (1987)......Page 315 24. Language and National Development (1988)......Page 324 Ferguson Bibliography, 1985–1995......Page 336 B......Page 340 F......Page 341 I......Page 342 M......Page 343 R......Page 344 W......Page 345 Z......Page 346 C......Page 347 F......Page 348 I......Page 349 L......Page 350 M......Page 351 P......Page 352 S......Page 353 V......Page 354 Y......Page 355 C......Page 356 J......Page 357 S......Page 358 Y......Page 359 Oxford University Press, USA Contents 10 Introduction 14 Part I: Speech Communities and Language Situations 28 1. Diglossia (1959) 36 2. Language Development (1968) 51 3. The Role of Arabic in Ethiopia: A Sociolinguistic Perspective (1970) 59 4. Religious Factors in Language Spread (1982) 70 5. Literacy in a Hunting-Gathering Society: The Case of the Diyari (1987) 80 6. South Asia as a Sociolinguistic Area (1991) 95 Part II: Register and Genre 108 7. Baby Talk in Six Languages (1964) 114 8. Absence of Copula and the Notion of Simplicity: A Study of Normal Speech, Baby Talk, Foreigner Talk and Pidgins (1971) 126 9. The Collect as a Form of Discourse (1976) 135 10. The Structure and Use of Politeness Formulas (1976) 144 11. Sports Announcer Talk: Syntactic Aspects of Register Variation (1983) 159 12. Genre and Register: One Path to Discourse Analysis (1985) 178 Part III: Variation and Change 188 13. The Sociolinguistic Variable (s) in Bengali: A Sound Change in Progress? (with Afia Dil) (1979) 192 14. Standardization as a Form of Language Spread (1987) 200 15. From ESSES to AITCHES: Identifying Pathways of Diachronic Change (1990) 211 16. Then They Could Read and Write (1990) 227 17. Individual and Social in Language Change: Diachronic Changes in Politeness Agreement in Forms of Address (1991) 238 18. Variation and Drift: Loss of Agreement in Germanic (1991) 252 Part IV: Language Planning 272 19. The Language Factor in National Development (1962) 278 20. On Sociolinguistically Oriented Language Surveys (1966) 283 21. Sociolinguistic Settings of Language Planning (1977) 288 22. National Attitudes Toward Language Planning (1979) 306 23. Conventional Conventionalization: Planned Change in Language (1987) 315 24. Language and National Development (1988) 324 Ferguson Bibliography, 1985–1995 336 Names Index 340 A 340 B 340 C 341 D 341 E 341 F 341 G 342 H 342 I 342 J 343 K 343 L 343 M 343 N 344 O 344 P 344 Q 344 R 344 S 345 T 345 U 345 V 345 W 345 Y 346 Z 346 Topics Index 347 A 347 B 347 C 347 D 348 E 348 F 348 G 349 H 349 I 349 J 350 K 350 L 350 M 351 N 352 O 352 P 352 Q 353 R 353 S 353 T 354 U 354 V 354 W 355 Y 355 Languages Index 356 A 356 B 356 C 356 D 357 E 357 F 357 G 357 H 357 I 357 J 357 K 358 L 358 M 358 N 358 O 358 P 358 Q 358 R 358 S 358 T 359 U 359 W 359 Y 359 ISBN-13:,9780195092905 1. Diglossia (1959) -- 2. Language Development (1968) -- 3. The Role Of Arabic In Ethiopia: A Sociolinguistic Perspective (1970) -- 4. Religious Factors In Language Spread (1982) -- 5. Literacy In A Hunting-gathering Society: The Case Of The Diyari (1987) -- 6. South Asia As A Sociolinguistic Area (1991) -- 7. Baby Talk In Six Languages (1964) -- 8. Absence Of Copula And The Notion Of Simplicity: A Study Of Normal Speech, Baby Talk, Foreigner Talk And Pidgins (1971) -- 9. The Collect As A Form Of Discourse (1976) -- 10. The Structure And Use Of Politeness Formulas (1976) -- 11. Sports Announcer Talk: Syntactic Aspects Of Register Variation (1983) -- 12. Genre And Register: One Path To Discourse Analysis (1985) -- 13. The Sociolinguistic Variable (s) In Bengali: A Sound Change In Progress? (1979) / Afia Dil And Charles A. Ferguson -- 14. Standardization As A Form Of Language Spread (1987) -- 15. From Esses To Aitches: Identifying Pathways Of Diachronic Change (1990) -- 16. Then They Could Read And Write (1990) -- 17. Individual And Social In Language Change: Diachronic Changes In Politeness Agreement In Forms Of Address (1991) -- 18. Variation And Drift: Loss Of Agreement In Germanic (1991) -- 19. The Language Factor In National Development (1962) -- 20. On Sociolinguistically Oriented Language Surveys (1966) -- 21. Sociolinguistic Settings Of Language Planning (1977) -- 22. National Attitudes Toward Language Planning (1979). 23. Conventional Conventionalization: Planned Change In Language (1987) -- 24. Language And National Development (1988) -- Ferguson Bibliography, 1985-1995. Charles A. Ferguson ; Edited By Thom Huebner. Collection Of Previously Published Material. Ferguson Bibliography, 1985-1995: P. 325-328. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This is a collection of the most influential and important work of the distinguished sociolinguist Charles A. Ferguson, ranging from studies of baby talk across cultures to analyses of the impact of literacy and religion on cultures across the world. This is a collection of the most influential work of the distinguished sociolinguist Charles A. Ferguson, ranging from studies of baby talk across cultures, to analyses of the impact of literacy and religion on nations across the world.