LINGUIST List 12.815

Fri Mar 23 2001

Books: Sociolinguistics

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Paul Peranteau, Sociolinguistics, Ethnicity and Language Change by McCafferty

John Benjamins Publishing announces a new work in Sociolinguistics:

Ethnicity and Language Change.
English in (London)Derry, Northern Ireland.
Kevin McCAFFERTY (University of Troms�
IMPACT: Studies in Language and Society 7
US & Canada: 1 58811 002 8 / USD 80.00 (Hardcover)
Rest of world: 90 272 1838 2 / NLG 175.00 (Hardcover)

Part sociolinguistic, part ethnographic, this book takes up the
neglected question of how ethnic division interacts with variation
and change in Northern Irish English. It identifies an idealised
folk model of harmonious communities, in spite of the social divide and 
open conflict that have long affected the region; this model affects daily 
life and
sociolinguistic studies alike.

A reading of sociolinguistic studies from the region reveals
ethnolinguistic differentiation. Qualitative analysis of material
from (London)Derry shows people often stressing tolerance in their
community, while accounts of their activities contain evidence of
ethnic division and strife. Quantitative analysis charts six
changes in (London)Derry English. Variation correlates to varying
degrees with age, ethnicity, class, sex and social network. The
ethnic dimension, while not the most important parameter in all
cases, plays a role in relation to all the changes examined.




 John Benjamins Publishing Co.
Offices: Philadelphia 
Amsterdam:
Websites: http://www.benjamins.com 
http://www.benjamins.nl
E-mail: servicebenjamins.com 
customer.servicesbenjamins.nl
Phone: +215 836-1200 +31 20 6304747
Fax: +215 836-1204 +31 20 6739773