ABSTRACT
Theelderlyhavebeenallbutinvisibleinsociolinguisticresearch, evenwhensociolinguisticsisbroadlydefinedtoencompassquantitativeandqualitativelanguage-basedworkacrossthedisciplinesoflinguistics,socialpsychology,communicationscienceand sociology. 1'2Somerecentstudies(e.g.GilesandRyan1986;N. Coupland,J.Coupland,GilesandHenwood,inpress)have pointedtotheanomalyofthisabsencegiventhatageingisan increasinglysalientissue-demographically,butinfactinevery sociologicalrespect-inWesternsociety.Thisresearchhasalso beguntoshowthepotentialimpactofsociolinguisticresearchon ourunderstandingofsocialattitudestowardstheelderly,intergenerationalcommunicationbehaviours,thesocialandindividualconsequencesofthese,andindeedlaterlifedevelopment asawhole.
