The study of variation and change is at the heart of the sociolinguistics. Providing a wide survey of the field, this textbook is organised around three constraints on variation: linguistic structure, social structure and identity, and social and linguistic perception. By considering both structure and meaning, Scott F. Kiesling examines the most important issues surrounding variation theory, including canonical studies and terms, as well as challenges to them. Research in non-English and non-European contexts is also addressed. A range of different topics within sociolinguistics is covered including: * The linguistic variable and its status * Sociolinguistic methods * The description of variable patterns * Linguistic and social structure * Social meaning and perception. With over 50 figures and a practical section on methodology, this textbook is an ideal solution for undergraduate and postgraduate students of sociolinguistics seeking a comprehensive study of variation and change.
Scott F. Kiesling is Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Pittsburgh. He has published on a wide variety of sociolinguistic projects. Through analyses of language in use in a number of different populations and places, he has focused on understanding how speakers create social meaning with language.
Title: Linguistic Variation and Change (Edinburgh Sociolinguistics)
Author: Scott F. Kiesling
ISBN: 9780748637621
Binding:
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Publication Date: 2011-05-03
Number of Pages: 208
Weight: 0.3221 kg
Kiesling succeeds in beginning most chapters with guiding, thought-provoking questions, outlining topics discussed in previous sections or chapters, presenting what will be discussed subsequently, and linking the previous and forthcoming theories or concepts together. He also explains findings and conclusions in technical and plain language and buttresses complex ideas with helpful examples that are sometimes related to personal hypothetical situations! This book will be particularly fitting as a textbook for introducing graduate students to linguistic variation for the first time. -- Memoria C. James, University of Texas at Austin LINGUIST list Kiesling succeeds in beginning most chapters with guiding, thought-provoking questions, outlining topics discussed in previous sections or chapters, presenting what will be discussed subsequently, and linking the previous and forthcoming theories or concepts together. He also explains findings and conclusions in technical and plain language and buttresses complex ideas with helpful examples that are sometimes related to personal hypothetical situations! This book will be particularly fitting as a textbook for introducing graduate students to linguistic variation for the first time.
