What Is Sociolinguistics?

by Gerard Van Herk

How is our language affected by our ethnicity, gender, and region? How are our conversations and other interactions structured? How does society view and regulate language? How do we use language to present ourselves to others? In this revised and updated second edition of the popular  What Is Sociolinguistics?  Gerard Van Herk explores these and other intriguing questions about language, how we use it, and its relationships to society. Van Herk guides the reader on a tour through the major issues that define the field, including region, status, gender, time, language attitudes, interaction, and style, at the same time exploring the sociolinguistics of multilingualism, culture and ethnicity, language contact, and education. This second edition has been revised and updated to include new and more exercises, discussion questions, and suggested readings, as well as expanded chapters exploring gender duality and Latino English. Key readings are introduced in Van Herk’s clear and engaging voice, which accompanies the text throughout, providing an accessible point of entry for those new to, or less familiar with, sociolinguistics. Chapter summaries and textboxes are similarly employed to signpost and illuminate learning. A companion website features PowerPoint slides for each chapter with suggestions for framing class discussions and exercises, further examples of concepts discussed, additional reading suggestions, and ready-to-go slides for class presentation.  Packed with the latest research and practical teaching aids,  What is Sociolinguistics? Second edition  retains the highly-praised character of its predecessor and provides an essential up-to-date text for both students and instructors alike.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction, Textbooks, College, School, Read For School

284 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2012

Reviews

[Imme [trying to crawl out of hiatus] van Gorp · Rating 4 out of 5]

|| 4.0 stars ||

This was surprisingly fun to read. Normally, books like this tend to be boring, bland and overly formal. Not this one. It’s written in a casual style that’s engaging and easy to follow along with while still being extremely informative and helpful.
You really can’t find a textbook written much more pleasantly than this one.

This book serves as an introduction to sociolinguistics: It describes how social factors (such as region, style, relationships or communities) and social groups (such as age, gender, class or ethnicity) influence language usage. It details how language differs between people but also how these differences can lead to general language change over time.

I personally found the subject very interesting, so that probably helped a lot with my enjoyment levels as well.

[Kyo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like sociolinguistics and this book is good for the subject, though I did have some little problems with it at times. (And the class itself was disappointing).

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

not really sure how fair a rating this is but i read this for hg2020 language in society and how i wish every textbook could be written this way - casually, conversationally, seeking to convey technical information in the most enjoyable way possible, and using that in itself as a teaching point, too. van herk covers the basics of sociolinguistics, each chapter covering one facet of society it relates to, with links across chapters that help tie all the knowledge together. poignant examples and research case studies are seamlessly included, sometimes using witty twists of words or humorous anecdotes, and tbh this was my favourite mod (probably ever) not just because of the content (socio!!!linguistics!!! alone would've been enough to make me happy) but also because of the excellent professors and readings that were sheer joy to do each week.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most enjoyable textbooks I’ve ever read, and the casual way in which it was written certainly added to that.

[Rasti Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is written(wrote)in simplified language. Dr.Gerard Van Herk presented a masterpiece on sociolinguistics, it should be used as a textbook and studied at universities since it simplifies the vagueness of the discipline and personalizes the linguistics features of sociolinguistics.There are various research papers discussed within the book along with his personal experience in that domain. The only way to critique this books is lack of discussion on (Memes),a term coined by Richard Dawkins in combining evolutionary biology with evolution of language, plus AI language with human language. Humanity is driven towards another phase, which is using language in relation to machines. Professor Dawkins discussed this phase in the Blind Watch Maker that AI is no longer a thing dealt with but humanoid. We as humans communicate through internet, we speak in a way machines can understand it. It not only shapes our lives but in the future it might regulate and drive language. I'm not talking about rise of a lingua franca similar as English that connect us all with machines. Don't worry, you still get 5 star Mr. Van Herk, you are an amazing writer and researcher.

[Mahira · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very readable and enjoyable book written in a very casual way for beginners in sociolinguistics even for those without any background in general linguistics.
All the chapters that go from the brief start with the titular question across social characteristics of speakers to the topics of language contact & language policies are accompanied by a multitude of mostly rather recent studies but also author's personal anecdotes that make it feel a bit less like a textbook and a bit more like a live presented lecture (which is a good thing IMO). Can recommend!

[Amanda Dawabsheh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was assigned this book for a university class, and I absolutely loved it. Gerard Van Herk does an excellent job of explaining the field of sociolinguistics while also writing in a way that makes it very easy to relate to both him and the subject. I would very highly recommend this book!

[Julianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the textbook for the sociolinguistics class that I took as a first-year linguistics major. Very approachable and practical introduction to the subfield. Easy to follow, not too dense, but also reasonably thorough.

My only complaint: I would have liked to see a more complete index.

[Şans · Rating 3 out of 5]

meh

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was used in my intro to sociolinguistics class. The diction is incredibly accessible, he even lists core vocabulary with definitions in the margins - a throwback to high school textbooks. Additionally useful is the way Van Herk references related studies at the end of each chapter. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an introduction to the topic.

[Trixie Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a textbook, it was an easy read. The author was very laid back and really tried to put the subject matter, especially the jargon of linguistics, into layman's terms...note I said tried lol

[Iris Windmeijer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative book, explained in an easy manner. It is not filled with unnecessary jargon and this makes the book very easy to follow. The information is very interesting.

[wx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great textbook, very accessible NOT LIKE HALLIDAY EXCUSE ME COUGH COUGH