A Beginner's Guide to Sociolinguistics

This book is intended to provide students and teachers with the basic coverage of most of the topics dealt with in sociolinguistics courses. As it deals with basic concepts, this book should prove to be most useful in a first-level course. The book explores issues that bother on language as a social phenomenon. It helps learners to see language, not just as a tool for communication, but also as an institution that helps speakers to maintain self-identity, their culture and the society. Even instances of language use have social settings or contexts, and this helps to determine how the language is used. This book draws on a variety of sources which are included in a reference list at the end of each section.