This two-volume text presents a state-of-the-art account of the discipline in the closing years of the twentieth century. The books chart the liveliest areas in contemporary sociolinguistics: variation, multilingualism, gender, and discourse and include helpful introductions and other aids to the student and specialist. Volume 1 explores the macro-social aspects of sociolinguistics, covering cross-cultural communication problems, the linguistic behavior of bilingual speakers, language contact, the social psychology of language, variation, and the mystery of linguistic change.

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