Examines colloquial uses of "like" as a discourse marker with the goal of specifying its discourse functions, including semantic, pragmatic, and sociopragmatic aspects of meaning. Data presented come from nine interviews. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the origins of Soviet sociolinguistics and suggests that the historical significance of the reception and reinterpretation of these ideas is considerable, leading to a reconsideration of the origins of sociolinguistics and the relationship between Marxism and the language sciences in the early years of the Soviet Union. (Author/VWL)

Explores the effects of the race of the interviewer on data derived from sociolinguistic fieldwork. Particular focus is on the potentially differing effects of white and African-American fieldworkers on interviews with African-American interviewees. (Author/VWL)

Discusses three positions regarding the definition of sociolinguistic theory: (1) sociolinguistic theory is proper linguistic theory; (2) sociolinguistic theory is an accumulation of mini-theories; and (3) sociolinguistic theory as social theory. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the role that Sociolinguistics should play with respect to the Ebonics debate in the United States. Argues that the fundamental perspective Sociolinguistics has taken with respect to this issue is sound, namely that Ebonics like any other linguistic variety is just as rule-governed and systematic. (Author/VWL)

Reviews the following books: "The Politics of Writing," (Romy Clark, Roz Ivanic); "Literacy in Society," (Ruqaiya Hasan, Geoff Williams); "Text, Role, and Context: Developing Academic Literacies" (Ann M. Johns); "Changing Literacies" by (Colin Lankshear with James Paul Gee, Michele Knobel, Chris Searle); and…

Explores the distribution of /ai/ monophthongization in African-American and European-American speakers in Memphis, Tennessee. Presents evidence of extensive glide weakening in the African-American community in Memphis and compares it to the degree and contexts of glide weakening in the European-American community. (Author/VWL)

Presents results of a longitudinal study of Murcian Spanish carried out following a real-time approach with a retrospective trend design in order to detect and measure the apparent increasing diffusion of standard Castilian features from Northern peninsular Spanish. (Author/VWL)

Offers a response to an article on scholarship and linguistic rights. The focus of the response is on strengthening the foundations underpinning a field that is of increasing interest not only to sociolinguistics, but also to lawyers, educationalists, economists, anthropologists, policymakers, and others. (Author/VWL)

Reviews Peter Muhlhausler's book "Linguistic Ecology: Language Change and Linguistic Imperialism in the Pacific Region." Discusses the linguistic diversity of the Pacific, the linguistic impact of colonialism in the Pacific, and the role of linguists in the evolving linguistic situation in the Pacific. (Author/VWL)

Responds to an earlier article that critiqued a book written by the author of this article on linguistic diversity in the Pacific.(Author/VWL)

Explores ways in which the globalized new economy has resulted in the commodification of language and identity, sometimes separately, sometimes together. The article is based on recent ethnographic, sociolinguistic research in francophone areas of Canada. (Author/VWL)

Suggests that while recent sociolinguistic work focusing on crossing, or language boundaries is raising significant questions concerning how we relate language, identity, and popular culture, these insights have largely passed by the sociolinguistics of world English. (Author/VWL)

Investigated two historically isolated communities in the United States--Smith Island, Maryland and the Lumbee Native American community in Robeson County, North Carolina. Demonstrates that contrary to assumption, isolated communities may be linguistically innovative and heterogeneous. Explanations for this are found to be both cognitive and…

Discusses the need for a forum to discuss public issues related to language. Introduces three papers that focus on current language issues. (Author/VWL)