Investigating Language Attitudes: Social Meanings of Dialect, Ethnicity and Performance

by Peter Garrett, Nikolas Coupland, Angie Williams

"Presented in this book is a systematic and critical reappraisal of the methods used in language attitudes research as well as a detailed analysis of the relative positions of the English and Welsh languages in Wales and the sociolinguistic environment in which they function. Argued is the notion that the varieties of English in Wales need to be treated as distinct rather than coalesced into a broad category of bland Welsh English, not only in terms of descriptive dialect differences, but also as the basis of their distinctive social meanings. In addition to discussing different ways of expressing attitudes, from teenagers' and teachers' attitudes to regional and subcultural variation in attitudes, the book also considers issues such as degrees of authentic Welshness and the impact of rapid social change in Wales."

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2003