Globalization is a complex combination of economic, social, and cultural shifts largely carried out through language; from texts and communicative exchanges to the orders of meaning that construct contemporary social lives. The Handbook of Language and Globalization meets the challenges that globalization poses to sociolinguistic theory by investigating key issues relating to language use and development.

Comprising 36 chapters written by leading international scholars, the volume brings together new research in the field and maps out new areas for future research. Contributors cover such topics as tourism, language teaching, social networking, terrorism, and religion, among many others. The volume also illustrates critical approaches to discourse, social semiotics, linguistic anthropology, and cultural studies. The result is a vibrant interdisciplinary mix of articles that represents some of the most compelling contemporary sociolinguistic research. Venturing beyond the constraints of the typical speech community, the handbook takes steps towards re-theorizing language in the world today.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Acknowledgments

Introduction: Sociolinguistics in the Global Era (Nikolas Coupland)

Part I: Global Multilingualism, World Languages, and Language Systems

Part II: Global Discourse in Key Domains and Genres

Part III: Language, Values, and Markets under Globalization

Part IV: Language, Distance, and Identities

Index