"Metalanguage" brings together new, original contributions on people's knowledge about language and representations of language, e.g, representations of dialects, styles, utterances, stances and goals in relation to sociolinguistic theory, sociolinguistic accounts of language variation, and accounts of linguistic usage. Drawing on a variety of data sources such as lay and linguists' metalanguage, the media, parliamentary debates, education, and retail shopping, the book comprises four sections and an integrative commentary. The main thematic parts deal with metalanguage in relation to the following issues: the theory of metalanguage, ideology, social evaluation, and stylization. Other key themes discussed include constructionism, identity formation, in- and out-grouping, deception, discrimination, manipulation, and the increasing semiotization of the socio-cultural landscape. Apart from the strictly linguistic concerns, some contributions focus on discourse in a broader sense examining meta-commentary construed in modalities other than language.The book follows from and complements a great tradition of the study of metalanguage, reflexivity, and metapragmatics, and offers a new, integrating perspective from various fields of sociolingustics: perceptual dialectology, variationism, pragmatics, critical discourse analysis, and social semiotics. The broad range of theoretical issues and accessible style of writing will appeal to advanced students and researchers in sociolinguistics and in other disciplines across the social sciences and humanities including linguists, communication researchers, anthropologists, sociologists, social psychologists, critical and social theorists. The book includes chapters by Deborah Cameron, Nikolas Coupland, Dariusz Galasiński,Peter Garrett, Adam Jaworski, Tore Kristiansen, Ulrike Hanna Meinhof,Dennis Preston, Theo van Leeuwen, Kay Richardson, Itesh Sachdev, AngieWilliams, and John Wilson.TO ORDER, PLEASE CONTACTSFG Servicecenter-FachverlagePostfach 434372774 Reutlingen, GermanyFax: +49 (0)7071 - 93 53 - 33E-mail: deGruyter@s-f-g.com For USA, Canada, Mexico: Walter de Gruyter, Inc.PO Box 960Herndon, VA 20172-0960Tel.: +1 (703) 661 1589Tel. Toll-free +1 (800) 208 8144Fax: +1 (703) 661 1501 e-mail: degruytermail@presswarehouse.com