Table of Contents

Contents vii List of Boxes xi

Research in the Spotlight xiv

Companion Website xvi

Acknowledgments xvii

1. Introduction 1

2. Language and Society 10

3. Place 25

4. Social Status 47

5. Time 60

6. Ethnicity 75

7. Gender and Identity 85

8. Style 104

9. Interaction 116

10. Multilingualism 127

11. Language Contact 136

12. Attitudes and Ideologies 148

13. Language as a Social Entity 161

14. Education 175

15. What is Sociolinguistics? 188

Glossary 197

Bibliography 213

Index 229

About the Author

Gerard Van Herk is a Canada Research Chair in Regional Language and Oral Text at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He has researched and written on varieties of the English language and is the editor of Data Collection in Sociolinguistics: Methods and Applications (eds. with C. Mallinson and B. Childs, 2013).

Reviews

?This is a delightfully engaging introduction to the passionate purpose of sociolinguistics. Van Herk is a masterful guide who personally escorts students on an informative, entertaining tour of the field. Students experience sociolinguistics through the perfect blend of substance, interaction, and autobiographical perspective.? ? Walt Wolfram, North Carolina State University

?What is Sociolinguistics offers a refreshingly different take on many of the standard, key concepts in the field. It is funny, clear, and distinctly personal, providing essential information about sociolinguistics and referring students to a host of other works that can take them deeper if they wish.? ? John Rickford, Stanford University