© Columbia University Press
Linguistic Variation and Change
Paper, 208 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-7486-3762-1
$36.00
August, 2011
Cloth, 208 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-7486-3761-4
Edinburgh University Press
$110.00
The study of variation and change lies at the heart of sociolinguistic enterprise, yet few texts cover the full range of studies produced in this field. This collection widely surveys this work, focusing on the tension created among three constraints on variation: linguistic structure, social structure and identity, and social and linguistic perception. It discusses both the views of classic variationist literature and the assertions made by newer work based in non-English and non-European contexts, which distinctly challenges this literature. It also links the study of variation and change to broader linguistic theories and considers how these theories account for variation. The collection addresses current debates in sociolinguistics and examines the most important issues surrounding variation theory, along with the main forces that act on variation and change.