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Loading... Sociolinguistics: An Introduction to Language and Society, Fourth Edition (original 2001; edition 2001)by Peter Trudgill
Work InformationSociolinguistics: an introduction by Peter Trudgill (2001)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Ah, good old Trudgill. Reliable, though a little dated at the edges (even the most recent reissue talks about languages maybe not making it into the new millennium). The book is a well-written introduction to the field, penned by a renowned expert who handles the subject matter with great confidence and experience. For a text dealing mainly with varieties of English, it features a balanced range of languages to draw examples from. The organization is not always as tight as it could have been: several chapters do tend to meander a bit, and the selection and arrangement of information could have tended a little more towards the analytical. On the other hand, by not rigidly adhering to a structure, the book reads less as a textbook to be learnt by heart and more like an informed discussion of people's attitudes towards languages, dialects, and the people who speak them. In all, this book serves eminently as a textbook for first year undergrads. I enjoyed teaching from it. no reviews | add a review
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The way we talk is deeply influenced by our class, sex and ethnic background. It can also have a profound effect on how we are perceived by others. In this fully updated new edition of a classic text, Peter Trudgill explores the evidence - and the huge implications for social and educational policy . Why do men swear more than women? How do speech styles of most Black Americans, and whites growing up in 'Black areas' differ from those of other whites? Does it make sense to defend a language against 'contamination' from foreign words and phrases? Such questions illuminate many fascinatin g aspects of human communication, but they also lie at the heart of fierce political debates about how states should deal with their linguistic minorities, when teachers should correct their pupils' grammar and pronunciation, and whether language promotes racial and sexual stereotypes. Only sociolinguists can provide objective answers- their key conclusions are set out in this celebrated book. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)306.44Social sciences Social Sciences; Sociology and anthropology Culture and Institutions Specific aspects of culture LanguageLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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I found this a relatively easy read, despite the technical details. There are graphs and tables that show things like language difference between social classes and ethnic groups. No footnotes, but a “Suggestions for further reading” at the end. ( )