Sociophonetics

Sociophonetics: An Introduction will quickly become the standard text for students analyzing sound variation, as you would expect from someone of Thomas' stature in the field. This clearly written text fills an instructional gap and joins together strands of research in a thorough and organized manner' - Professor Thomas C. Purnell, University of Wisconsin 'Overall, what makes this text stand out as an excellent resource for sociophonetic research is its thorough handling of each topic, extensive coverage of such a wide range of practical, methodological and theoretical issues, and sheer readability. Thomas continually highlights gaps in existing knowledge, and suggests numerous possible avenues of exploration for budding (or established) sociophoneticians to study in the future. This text would be suitable for undergraduate or postgraduate study, or as a resource for seasoned researchers wanting to gain a knowledge and understanding of the key methodology of sociophonetics, and what- as an autonomous sub-discipline- it has to offer the larger linguistic community.' -International Phonetic Association

This comprehensive introduction discusses detailed methods of analyzing consonants, vowels, prosody and voice quality. Extensively illustrated, and with a focus on language variation, it provides explanations for conducting acoustic analyses and perception experiments and covers a variety of theoretical approaches.Sociophonetics – the interface of sociolinguistics and phonetics – is a field that has expanded rapidly in recent years. A subject that requires both methodological and theoretical assessment for study, sociophonetics has never before been presented in a way that ties these fundamental strands together so successfully.

This comprehensive and user friendly introduction seamlessly marries the dual cores of sociophonetics into one accessible text.

In a methodical and structured approach, Sociophonetics: An Introduction:

§ Provides detailed analysis of phonetic variables, discussing consonants, vowels, prosody and voice quality
§ Includes clear and thorough explanations of how to measure linguistic phenomena and conduct acoustic analyses and perception experiments
§ Covers a variety of theoretical approaches, including exemplar theory and cognitive sociolinguistics
§ Examines, through theoretical issues, how sociolinguistics, phonetics and cognitive linguistics are linked

Thomas' innovative and friendly introduction to sociophonetics presents both a guide for advanced beginners as well as a basis for further development of professional research.