Language and Social Issues

This engaging textbook provides a unique introduction to language and society, by showing students how to tap into the linguistic resources of their communities. Assuming no prior experience of linguistics, it begins with chapters on introductory methods and ethics, creating a foundation for students to think of themselves as linguists. It then offers students the sociolinguistics tools they need to look both locally and globally at language and the social issues with which it interacts. The book is illustrated throughout with examples from 98 distinct languages, enabling students to connect their local experiences with global ones, and each chapter ends with classroom and community-focused exercises, to help them discover the underlying rules that shape language use in their own lives. Students will gain a greater appreciation for, and understanding of, the linguistically diverse and culturally complex sociolinguistic issues around the world, and how language interacts with multiple domains of society.

Author Biography

Mary-Caitlyn Valentinsson is a linguist and anthropologist of popular culture. Her research primarily focuses on the roles that authenticity and language ideologies play in our engagement with mass media. Shiloh Drake is a linguist who has taught at several universities around the US. Her research explores how humans deal with words, word-bits, and word meanings. Amy Fountain is Associate Professor of Practice at the Department of Linguistics, University of Arizona. She has over two decades of teaching and research experience, and is an expert in language revitalization, linguistics pedagogy, and sociolinguistics.