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Sociolinguistics

Method and Interpretation

Lesley Milroy author Matthew Gordon author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Published:28th Dec '02

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Sociolinguistics cover

Sociolinguistics: Method and Interpretation presents a thorough and practical description of current sociolinguistic methodology while recognizing that methodological decisions can never be separated from questions of theory.


  • Presents a thorough and practical description of current sociolinguistic methodology.
  • Considers a range of issues including speaker selection, data collection, social considerations, phonological and syntactical variation, style-shifting and code-switching.
  • Recognizes that methodological decisions can never be separated from questions of theory.
  • Stresses the need for the entire research process from the initial design of the project to the interpretation of results to be grounded in theoretically defensible positions.
  • Shows how the research paradigm established by a few influential pioneers has been fruitfully expanded by exciting new trends.

‘Milroy and Gordon give us the first comprehensive survey of research methods that takes in the breadth and scope of sociolinguistics as it has come to maturity. They relate analytic methods to research goals and always keep an eye on matters of interpretation and evaluation that give meaning to quantitative and statistical results. This book is a valuable resource not only for students but also for experienced researchers.’ J. K. Chambers, University of Toronto

‘Given the accelerating, visible growth of sociolinguistics, it is surprising that there are practically no books dedicated to methods. This is a welcome exception. But it is more than a discussion of techniques; it is firmly grounded in current sociolinguistic theory. The combination of an experienced fieldworker and analyst, and an up-and-coming scholar has resulted in one of the most useful texts in variation studies to be published in the last decade.’ Walt Wolfram, North Carolina State University

ISBN: 9780631222255

Dimensions: 230mm x 155mm x 21mm

Weight: 399g

288 pages

2nd edition