Introducing Sociolinguistics

摘要

This new addition to the growing number of introductory texts on sociolinguistics is informed by Meyerhoff's extensive experience in teaching the subject to undergraduates. She deliberately departs from the more common structure of such texts by beginning with a focus on 'the individual, and then working through other sociolinguistic topics'; this decision is motivated by the desire to make material immediately 'accessible and relevant' to students, and to gradually enable them to recognise 'the seamless connections between individual speakers and varieties of languages'. Chapter 1 lays out her reasons here, going on to describe the structure of the book and to give an idea of the nature of the field.