A Stanford University Press classic.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SOCIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE brings to students, researchers and practitioners in all of the social and language-related sciences carefully selected book-length publications dealing with sociolinguistic theory, methods, findings and applications. It approaches the study of language in society in its broadest sense, as a truly international and interdisciplinary field in which various approaches, theoretical and empirical, supplement and complement each other. The series invites the attention of linguists, language teachers of all interests, sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, historians etc. to the development of the sociology of language.

Destined to become a landmark work, this book is devoted principally to a reassessment of the content, categories, boundaries, and basic assumptions of pidgin and creole studies. It includes revised and elaborated papers from meetings of the Society for Pidgin and Creole Linguistics in addition to commissioned papers from leading scholars in the field. As a group, the papers undertake this reassessment through a reevaluation of pidgin/creole terminology and contact language typology (Section One); a requestioning of process and evolution in pidginization, creolization, and other language contact phenomena (Section Two); a reinterpretation of the sources and genesis of grammatical aspects of Saramaccan and Atlantic creoles in general (Section Three); a reconsideration of the status of languages defying received definitions of pidgins and creoles (Section Four); and analyses of aspects of grammar that shed light on the issue of what a possible creole grammar is (Section Five).

For review see: Peter Bakker, in New West Indian Guide / Nieuwe West-Indische Gids, vol. 70, no. 1 & 2 (1996); p. 190-192.

An in-depth exploration of the sound systems of varieties of English around the world, written by a renowned authority in the field In Sounds of English Worldwide, Raymond Hickey delivers a rigorous overview of the sound systems of varieties of English throughout the world. Beginning with an overview of the history and contexts of global varieties of English, this book guides readers through the spread of English during the colonial era leading up to the present day. The second section of the book broadly considers developments in the English-speaking world, accounting for the factors that triggered regional changes and resulted in diverse scenarios for English, including language contact and shift, new dialect formation , and the use of English in non-anglophone contexts. To assist students in learning how to approach the study of varieties of English, this valuable text addresses research questions of general interest to linguists and explores a variety of fieldwork methods commonly used by researchers in the area. This useful book offers: A thorough introduction to English today, including its geographical and social distribution, focusing on variation and change around the world Practical discussions of key changes in late modern English that determined the unique phonetic profile of different varieties of the language In-depth examination of present-day scenarios and how they might pan out in the future development of English, considering the many factors which may shape global forms of the language Includes useful summaries of varieties of English with a glossary and timeline, providing a quick reference of the key features of English around the world for students Considers research issues and methods to aid students in applying the material of the book to their own studies Perfect for graduate students, advanced undergraduate students, and researchers studying varieties of Englishes, Sounds of English Worldwide will earn a place in the libraries of linguists and students studying Englishes worldwide from a sociolinguistic perspective as well as langague contact , bilingualism, the rise of new varieties along with English phonetics and phonology more generally.

This collection of original essays is intended to both celebrate Derek Bickerton's sixty-fifth birthday and honor his long and eminent career. Each author included in the volume is a noted scholar who has distinguished him/herself in some area of linguistics and has professionally or personally interacted with Bickerton and been influenced by his work. While the papers make independent thematic contributions, they also discuss, augment, present alternatives to, or are inspired in some way by Bickerton's seminal ideas or penetrating analyses. The book is organized into 5 sections, each a reflection of a major research period in Bickerton's career: Section 1: Identifying Creoles; Section 2: Language Variation; Section 3: Creole Processes; Section 4: Creole Syntax and Semantics; Section 5: Serial Verbs.