The Handbook of Language Variation and Change - (Blackwell Handbooks in Linguistics) 2nd Edition by J K Chambers & Natalie Schilling (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Reflecting a multitude of developments in the study of language change and variation over the last ten years, this extensively updated second edition features a number of new chapters and remains the authoritative reference volume on a core research area in linguistics.

• A fully revised and expanded edition of this acclaimed reference work, which has established its reputation based on its unrivalled scope and depth of analysis in this interdisciplinary field
• Includes seven new chapters, while the remainder have undergone thorough revision and updating to incorporate the latest research and reflect numerous developments in the field
• Accessibly structured by theme, covering topics including data collection and evaluation, linguistic structure, language and time, language contact, language domains, and social differentiation
• Brings together an experienced, international editorial and contributor team to provides an unrivalled learning, teaching and reference tool for researchers and students in sociolinguistics

From the Back Cover

Incorporating the wealth of developments in this interdisciplinary and dynamic field over the last decade, this second edition ensures that the Handbook remains the authoritative reference volume on the study and analysis of language variation and change. Seven new chapters have been added, while the remainder have undergone thorough revision and updating to reflect advances and new perspectives in each topic covered.

The Handbook is accessibly structured by theme, covering topics including data collection and evaluation, linguistic structure, language and time, social differentiation, language contact, and language domains. Bringing together an experienced, international editorial and contributor team, it provides an unrivalled learning, teaching and reference tool for researchers and students in sociolinguistics. The volume is also a vital resource for scholars in related disciplines requiring a reliable overview of the central topics and methods in the study of language variation and change. This new edition offers a convenient and accessible repository of essential knowledge that demonstrates the continuing vitality of the discipline.

Review Quotes

"This second edition of a handbook first published in 2002 under the same title is a rich and diversified volume, and a welcome update." (.Journal of Sociolinguistics, 22 July 2015)

About the Author

J. K. Chambers is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Toronto. He is the author of Sociolinguistic Theory: Linguistic Variation and its Social Significance, Revised Edition (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009) and Dialectology, Second Edition (with P. Trudgill, 1998), as well as numerous other books and scores of articles. He works extensively as a forensic consultant and maintains a parallel vocation in jazz criticism, having published a prize-winning biography of Miles Davis, Milestones: The Music and Times of Miles Davis (1998) and a volume on the bebop pianist Richard Twardzik (2008).

Natalie Schilling is Associate Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University. She is the author of American English: Dialects and Variation, Second Edition (with W. Wolfram, Wiley-Blackwell, 2006), Sustaining Linguistic Diversity: Endangered and Minority Languages and Language Varieties (with K. King, L. Fogle, J. J. Lou, and B. Soukup, 2008), and Sociolinguistic Fieldwork (2013). An expert in language variation and change in American English, she conducts workshops on sociolinguistics and education, as well as forensic linguistics, and is a noted consultant in both these fields.