List of figures vii List of tables ix Acknowledgements xi Foreword: Towards a sociolinguistic history of the English language xiii 1 Sociolinguistics: an overview 1 1.1 Historical linguistics and sociolinguistics 1.2 Sociolinguistics 1.3 Conclusions Further reading Some issues to consider 2 Language change and sociolinguistic processes in the past 2.1 Sociolinguistic change in the recent past: /r/ in New York City 2.2 Sociolinguistic change in the more distant past 2.3 Discussion Further reading Some issues to consider 3 Standardisation 3.1 Theories of linguistic dominance, subordination and standardisation 3.2 The standardisation of early Modern English 3.3 The development of an English standard 3.4 The dialectalisation of Scots 3.5 Conclusions Further reading Some issues to consider 4 Codification and ideology 4.1 Modern ideologies of language 4.2 The codification of English 4.3 Towards a middle class culture 4.5 Lower middle class language ideologies in modern Britain and beyond 4.6 Discussion Further reading Some issues to consider 5 Contact and shift as agents of change 5.1 Typological change from Old English to Middle English 5.2 Language contact as catalyst 5.3 Language contact from a theoretical viewpoint 5.4 Weighing up the evidence: contact and linguistic change 5.5 Discussion Further reading Some issues to consider 6 Linguistic contact and new dialect formation 6.1 Colonial dialects: an introduction 6.2 Theoretical models 6.3 Case studies 6.4 Conclusion Further reading Some issues to consider 7 Some final thoughts Further reading References Index