This book presents the main themes related to the field of sociolinguistics. It gives a detailed description, explanation and analaysis of all the aspects that touch language within society. The book starts by a detailed explanation of the field of linguistics and its major branches, then it moves the branch of sociolinguistics to examine its themes. Of the main themes examined in the book are language varieties, bilingualism, multiligualism, diglossia, borrowing, code swithing, language attitudes, world Englishes, language planning and policy and others
Introduction to Linguistics
The Scope of Sociolinguistics
The Linguistic Variable
Dialect vs. Variety
Speech Community
Language Contact
Bidialectalism
Bilingualism
Multilingualism
Sociolinguistic Phenomena
Pidgins
Creole
Accent
Diglossia
Style
Register
Language Variation
Language and Gender
Language Attitudes
World Englishes
Language Planning and Policy