Product Code: 1341309633

This is an engaging and compelling introduction to the field of sociolinguistics. It is a compact, comprehensive explication of the state of sociolinguistics today that crystallizes the topics of greatest interest to the field. This is a terrific book because it not only introduces students to the central topics currently on the minds of sociolinguists but demonstrates how quality sociolinguistic work is accomplished by highlighting timely and influential empirical studies. Taken as a whole, the authors construct a literature review that reflects the pulse of today's sociolinguistics. The final chapter is especially valuable because it apprentices students in a welcoming and demystifying way--into qualitative methods of sociolinguistic inquiry. Because it captures the poststructuralist, social constructivist, qualitative turn to sociolinguistics today, this textbook stands to have a notable impact on current and future sociolinguistic scholarship