Labov: A Guide for the Perplexed

by Matthew J. Gordon

Overview

William Labov (b. 1927) has been a driving force in linguistics for over four decades. Throughout North America, and in much of the rest of the world, his name is synonymous with sociolinguistics.

This new Guide for the Perplexed summarizes Labov's work in a number of subfields, including historical linguistics, discourse analysis and not least sociolinguistics. It also sketches a broader context for appreciating Labov's major innovations. His considerable and growing legacy is discussed with comparative glances to other ways of approaching language within linguistics and in neighboring disciplines. Since the publication of The Social Stratification of English in New York City in 1966, Labov has pushed the boundaries of sociolinguistics decade after decade but there has been no one volume guide to his work. This is that guide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441158529
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/03/2013
Series:	Guides for the Perplexed
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Matthew J. Gordon is Associate Professor in the English Department at the University of Missouri, USA

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
List of Figures
1. The Challenges of Labov
2. Linguistics and Sociolinguistics before Labov
3. How to Establish a Field as a Graduate Student
4. A Variationist Approach to Language
5. Speech Styles and Discourse
6. The "Socio" of Sociolinguistics
7. Labov as Historical Linguist
8. African American English: Lessons Learned, Lessons Taught
9. The Revolution at 50
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

A treasure trove ... Students will love this as an easy-reading introduction that nevertheless points out potential problems clearly, but even seasoned colleagues will find details they were perhaps not aware of before, or make new connections that were obscure before: a clear recommendation.
The Year's Work in English Studies

Labov makes an apt subject for a volume in Continuum's series Guides for the Perplexed, which seeks to provide concise, undergraduate-level introductions to writers and subjects often perceived to be dauntingly complex. Matthew Gordon's book fulfils the remit admirably, offering an instructive and accessible companion to Labov's work and the variationist approach to language description and change... this guide is a clear success: in keeping a narrow focus on Labov's own research (from his renowned Martha's Vineyard and New York City studies to his engagement with African American Vernacular English and the mapping of current North American dialects), Gordon manages to tell the "life story" of sociolinguistics in a compact and coherent manner.
Times Higher Education

Yes, William Labov really did establish a whole new academic field when he was a graduate student. And he has remained at the forefront of that field to this day. Matthew Gordon describes how, why, when and where this happened, and explains with great clarity the importance and excitement of it all. It's a remarkable story, and Gordon has really done it justice.
Peter Trudgill, University of Agder, Norway

From the Publisher