This single-volume guide equips students of sociolinguistics with a full set of methodological tools including data collection and analysis techniques, explained in clear and accessible terms by leading experts. It features project suggestions, troubleshooting tips, and data assessment across diverse languages.

Notes on Contributors vii Acknowledgments xii Symbols for Vowels Used in This Volume xiii Articulatory Position of Vowels Used in This Volume xiv Introduction 1Janet Holmes and Kirk Hazen 1 A Historical Assessment of Research Questions in Sociolinguistics 7Kirk Hazen Part I Types of Data and Methods of Data Collection 23 2 Sociolinguistic Interviews 25Michol Hoffman 3 Written Surveys and Questionnaires in Sociolinguistics 42Erik Schleef 4 Experimental Methods in Sociolinguistics 58Katie Drager 5 Computer-mediated Communication and Linguistic Landscapes 74Jannis Androutsopoulos Part II Methods of Analysis 91 Focusing on Features of Language from a Sociolinguistic Perspective 92 6 Sociohistorical Analysis 93Terttu Nevalainen 7 Corpus Linguistics in Sociolinguistics 107Paul Baker 8 Phonetic Analysis in Sociolinguistics 119Erik R. Thomas 9 Phonological Considerations in Sociophonetics 136Paul Kerswill and Kevin Watson 10 Morphosyntactic Analysis in Sociolinguistics 149Julia Davydova 11 Vocabulary Analysis in Sociolinguistic Research 163Michael Adams 12 Doing Discourse Analysis in Sociolinguistics 177Janet Holmes 13 Words and Numbers: Statistical Analysis in Sociolinguistics 194Gregory R. Guy Focusing on Aspects of Sociocultural Context in Analyzing Language 211 14 Anthropological Analysis in Sociolinguistics 213Alexandra Jaffe 15 Conversation Analysis in Sociolinguistics 230Paul Drew 16 Geographical Dialectology 246David Britain 17 Speech Communities, Social Networks, and Communities of Practice 262Robin Dodsworth 18 Analyzing Sociolinguistic Variation in Multilingual Contexts 276Rajend Mesthrie 19 Social Context, Style, and Identity in Sociolinguistics 290Nikolas Coupland 20 Researching Children's Acquisition of Sociolinguistic Competence 304Carmel O'Shannessy Index 325

This practical guide to research methods in sociolinguistics equips readers with a full range of techniques to apply in their own academic work. A team of twenty leading contributors provides detailed procedural instructions on an array of anthropological and scientific methods that cover the full spectrum of contemporary sociolinguistics, from the study of style and discourse analysis to the study of phonetics. The first of the book’s two sections details the types of data available, and explains collection methods ranging from sociolinguistic interviews to linguistic landscapes. The second part focuses on data analysis across a number of languages, subdivided into segments on linguistic and sociocultural techniques. Comprehensive coverage is combined with useful summaries, seasoned advice and troubleshooting tips, ideas for research projects, and a full directory of supplementary reading, for those undertaking research in this specialist field.

“This book is an invaluable aid for student researchers eager to produce high-quality, impactful sociolinguistic research. The editors of this volume have met their goal of providing the student with the theoretical framework, historical background, and methodological tools required to execute an array of different research endeavors within the field.”  (LINGUIST List, 8 December 2014)

“Short and highly focused chapters written by practitioners of sociolinguistics all over the world give this book a snappy feel. Each chapter is highly practical, even down to offering suggested project topics, and by including boxed highlights and flow charts this volume is likely to be widely used for teaching and (I bet) for structuring advanced research.” Miriam Meyerhoff, University of Auckland "Research Methods in Sociolinguistics is a remarkably comprehensive and useful compendium of current methods in the field, ranging from the conception and establishment of a research project to the collection, processing, and presentation of data. A forward-looking, benchmark collection founded solidly in the traditions of the field!" Walt Wolfram, North Carolina State University “This volume is like having the wisdom of Sociolinguistics at your fingertips. Whether you want to go to the field or the library, analyze words or interactions, study languages, dialects or sociolects, chart, map or quantify, this is the go-to book for the 21st century.” Sali A. Tagliamonte, University of Toronto