ABSTRACT
In this chapter I want to do three main things. The first is to assess the current standing and assumptions of sociolinguistics vis-à-vis ‘theory’. What do sociolinguists mean by theory? Are there competing views? Does it matter, and if so how? Is sociolinguistics theoretically deficient, as has sometimes been claimed? I will make the case that sociolinguistics is not ‘atheoretical’ but that its discussion of theory has been muted and rather uncritical. I will argue that sociolinguistics doesn’t need to aspire to developing one overarching ‘sociolinguistic theory’, and that this is an unrealistic goal, but that a more reflexive and open approach to theory is now needed. As part of this, sociolinguistics needs to be aware of how its existing, generally tacit social theorising connects to broader theoretical traditions in sociology and in the other social sciences. (Some initial ideas about this appear in the Preface, and I elaborate on them below.)
