Revised and updated, the 2nd Edition of Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology presents an accessible introduction to the study of language in real-life social contexts around the world through the contemporary theory and practice of linguistic anthropology.

List of Figures vii List of Tables ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xvii Part I Language: Some Basic Questions 1 1 The Socially Charged Life of Language 3 2 Gestures, Sign Languages, and Multimodality 33 3 The Research Process in Linguistic Anthropology 52 4 Language Acquisition and Socialization 69 5 Language, Thought, and Culture 87 Part II Communities of Speakers, Hearers, Readers, and Writers 117 6 Communities of Language Users 119 7 Multilingualism and Globalization 136 8 Literacy Practices 156 9 Performance, Performativity, and the Constitution of Communities 176 Part III Language, Power, and Social Differentiation 201 10 Language and Gender 203 11 Language, Race, and Ethnicity 230 12 Language Death and Revitalization 255 13 Conclusion: Language, Power, and Agency 273 Notes 305 References 321 Index 355