Social Meaning and Linguistic Variation
Theorizing the Third Wave

The only book offering an overview of third-wave variation research and theory, which is an approach centered on social meaning.

Lauren Hall-Lew (Edited by), Emma Moore (Edited by), Robert J. Podesva (Edited by)

9781108471626, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 12 August 2021

406 pages
23.6 x 15.8 x 2.7 cm, 0.704 kg

The 'third wave' of variation study, spearheaded by the sociolinguist Penelope Eckert, places its focus on social meaning, or the inferences that can be drawn about speakers based on how they talk. While social meaning has always been a concern of modern sociolinguistics, its aims and assumptions have not been explicitly spelled out until now. This pioneering book provides a comprehensive overview of the central tenets of variation study, examining several components of dialects, and considering language use in a wide variety of cultural and linguistic contexts. Each chapter, written by a leader in the field, posits a unique theoretical claim about social meaning and presents new empirical data to shed light on the topic at hand. The volume makes a case for why attending to social meaning is vital to the study of variation while also providing a foundation from which variationists can productively engage with social meaning.

1. Social Meaning and Linguistic Variation: Theoretical Foundations Lauren Hall-Lew, Emma Moore and Robert J. Podesva
Part I. Where is (Social) Meaning?: 2. Social Meaning and Sound Change Lauren Hall-Lew, Amanda Cardoso and Emma Davies
3. The Social Meaning of Syntax Emma Moore
4. The Social Meaning of Semantic Properties Andrea Beltrama and Laura Staum Casasanto
5. Pragmatics and the Third Wave: The Social Meaning of Definites Eric K. Acton
6. The Cognitive Structure behind Indexicality: Correlations in Tasks Linking /s/ Variation and Masculinity Kathryn Campbell-Kibler
Part II. The Structure of Social Meaning: 7. Sociolinguistic Signs as Cognitive Representations Annette D'Onofrio
8. Perceptions of Style: A Focus on Fundamental Frequency and Perceived Social Characteristics Katie Drager, Kate Hardeman Guthrie, Rachel Schutz and Ivan Chik
9. Features, Meanings, and Indexical Fields Marie Maegaard and Nicolai Pharao
10. Reconciling Seemingly Conflicting Social Meanings Roey J. Gafter
11. Biographical Indexicality: Personal History as a Frame of Reference for Social Meaning in Variation Devyani Sharma
Part III. Meaning and Linguistic Change: 12. Emergence of Social Meaning in Sociolinguistic Change Qing Zhang
13. Multiethnolect and Dialect in and across Communities Pia Quist
14. Changing Language, Changing Character Types Rebecca Lurie Starr
15. Social Meaning and the Temporal Dynamics of Sound Change Meredith Tamminga
16. The Role of the Body in Language Change Robert J. Podesva
17. Afterword Penelope Eckert.

Subject Areas: Anthropology [JHM], Sociology [JHB], Sociology & anthropology [JH], Sociolinguistics [CFB], Linguistics [CF], Language: reference & general [CB]