The Handbook of Sociolinguistics (Blackwell Handbooks in Linguistics)

"In 28 newly commissioned chapters distinguished contributors provide an up-to-date overview of sociolinguistics. This invaluable work of reference identifies the most important issues of sociolinguistics, makes primary sources more accessible, and provides orientation for future research." "Reflecting the main division within the discipline, the two key sections deal with the social dimensions of language and the linguistic dimensions of society. In addition, there is an introductory section taking issue with theoretical and methodological foundations of sociolinguistics. The final part introduces four areas in which the application of sociolinguistic knowledge has proved to be especially fruitful in recent years; education, bilingual education, the legal profession, and language planning. The Handbook is equipped with a comprehensive bibliography which can be used as a research tool in its own right."--Jacket contributors 2 Table of Contents.sociolinguistics 4 introduction 5 1 12 part 1- 1.The Evolution of a Sociolinguistic Theory of Language 12 part 1- 2. The Demography of Language 24 2 33 part 2- 3. Varieties and Variation 33 part 2- 4. Language Change in Progress Variation as it Happens 46 part 2- 5. Social Factors in Language Change 57 part 2- 6. Sociophonology 65 part 2 _ 7. Dialect in Society 75 part 2- 8. Gender as a Sociolinguistic Variable New Perspectives on Variation Studies 88 part 2 - 9. Age as a Sociolinguistic Variable 105 part 2 - 10. Spoken and Written Language 117 part2 - 11. The Sociolinguistics of Communication Media 129 part 2 - 12. Diglossia as a Sociolinguistic Situation 141 part 2- 13. Code-switching 149 part 2 - 14. Language Contact and Language Generation Pidgins and Creoles 163 part2 - 15. Language Contact and Language Degeneration 176 3 185 part 3- 16.Language Contact and Language Displacement 185 part 3- 17. Language Conflict 194 part 3 - 18 Mutilingualism 205 part 3 - 19. Language and Identity 214 part 3- 20. Language and Ethnicity The View from Within 223 part3 - 21. Global Scale Sociolinguistics 236 part3- 22 Language and the Mediation of Experience Linguistic Representation and Cognitive Orientation 246 part3 - 23. Linguistic Etiquette 257 4 265 part4 - 24. Sociolinguistics and Education 265 part4- 25. Bilingual Education 275 part 4- 26. Sociolinguistics and the Law 286 part 4 - 27. Language Planning and Language Reform 297 Bibliography 307 A 28-chapter up-to-date overview of sociolinguistics. Reflecting the main division within the discipline, the two key sections of the text deal with the social dimensions of language and the linguistic dimensions of society