ABSTRACT
It can be argued that the primary value of distinguishing among different approaches to the study of language behavior is to provide a convenient way of organizing data and ideas and not to demarcate incompatibilities between the disciplines. The boundaries between the theory, methodology, and scope of various approaches are diminishing somewhat in importance, and the very use of the term boundaries connotes a defensiveness that is giving way to a spirit of cooperation and integration. It is in this spirit that this chapter is offered, and we discuss ways in which developments in social psychology can contribute to the study of language behavior in society. 1 First, however, we highlight some pitfalls and limitations apparent to us in contemporary sociolinguistics, thus setting the scene for a social psychological perspective, both theoretical and methodological.
