Routledge English Language Introductions cover core areas of language study and are one-stop resources for students.

Assuming no prior knowledge, books in the series offer an accessible overview of the subject, with activities, study questions, sample analyses, commentaries and key readings - all in the same volume. The innovative and flexible 'two-dimensional' structure is built around four sections - introduction, development, exploration and extension - which offer self-contained stages for study. Sociolinguistics:

●provides a comprehensive introduction to sociolinguistics ●draws on a range of real texts, from an interview with Madonna to the Japanese Asahi Evening News ●uses real studies designed and conducted by students ●provides key readings with commentaries from works by major internationally known authors such as Norman Fairclough, Deborah Cameron, Braj Kachru, Jennifer Coates, Mark Sebba, and Malcolm Coulthard ●is accompanied by a supporting website.

Key features of the new edition:

●new section on forensic linguistics ●additional material on language and gender ●conversation analysis and spoken discourse ●comprehensively updated exercises, readings and references.