by RobertLawson (Editor), JohnR.Rickford (Foreword), Dave Sayers (Editor)
Shortlisted for the LSA Leonard Bloomfield Book Award 2017
Sociolinguistic Research: Application and Impact provides a unique overview of international research projects, showcasing their positive outcomes and offering critical insights and constructive critiques into the meaning of `impact' in contemporary research. The book includes:
With chapters spanning research across five continents, Sociolinguistic Research: Application and Impact is essential reading for sociolinguistic researchers, students embarking on sociolinguistic research, and anyone interested in the practical application of research on language and society.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 282
Edition: 1
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 12 Apr 2016
ISBN 10: 0415748526
ISBN 13: 9780415748520
The recent emphasis on impact and public engagement by funding bodies and academic institutions has given new prominence to this aspect of research, which has always been a key concern of sociolinguists. This very timely collection provides an illuminating account of the rise of the impact agenda, along with inspirational accounts of the ways in which sociolinguists can 'give back' to and have impact on the communities with which they work.
Joan C. Beal, University of Sheffield, UK
This volume is about sociolinguistics proudly reclaiming its heritage: our field always been committed to the wider social world and to the everyday uses (aka applications) of language. Notwithstanding, we have here an array of role-model studies seeking public relevance and impact in very concrete, direct ways. This is sociolinguistics that's often empowering, always engaging. The volume should be core reading for all students of language and society because it demonstrates clearly why their work matters and how they can make it matter even more. Without smugness and without selling out, Lawson and Sayers' intervention proves two things: first, the ivory tower is a toxic fallacy; second, we are the real world, dammit!
Crispin Thurlow, University of Bern, Switzerland
For those who are like-minded, this book offers a rewarding view of what sociolinguists can achieve when we make our work as relevant as possible, both within and beyond academia.
Christine Mallinson, University of Baltimore, U.S.A