An Introduction to Sociolinguistics by Janet Holmes

An Introduction to Sociolinguistics by Janet Holmes

First published in 1992, Janet Holmes' An Introduction to Sociolinguistics has established itself as the key introductory textbook in the field, and this new fourth edition has been updated and expanded to include new material. It is divided into three sections. In the first, Janet Holmes shows how language is used in multilingual speech communities and explains the varying patterns of language use. She examines how and why languages change within society and highlights the factors that lead to the displacement of one language by another, and sometimes even the death of a language. The central section gives a comprehensive and well-illustrated exploration of social reasons for language change, exploring language change in monolingual communities and the features of a variety of dialects. She shows how and why differing social and racial groups develop and maintain speech variations. In the final section, Janet Holmes assesses how attitudes to language affect speech, and shows that linguistic responses depend upon a variety of contextual factors. Written in an accessible way, this essential introductory text is and illustrated throughout with numerous examples.

Janet Holmes is Professor of Linguistics at Victoria University of Wellington. She teaches sociolinguistics courses from first year to postgraduate level Her books include Gendered Talk at Work andthe Blackwell Handbook of Language and Gender (co-edited with Miriam Meyerhoff). Most recently she has published Leadership, Discourse and Ethnicity (co-authored with Meredith Marra and Bernadette Vine) reflecting her most recent research interests which focus on leadership discourse and the relevance of gender and ethnicity in the workplace.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781408276747
ISBN 10	1408276747
Title	An Introduction to Sociolinguistics
Author	Janet Holmes
Series	Learning About Language
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Taylor & Francis Ltd
Year published	2013-01-28
Number of pages	512
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.