ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book introduces some of the different ways in which sociolinguists research language in use. It aims to provide readers with a sense of the seamless connections between individual speakers and varieties of languages. The book builds on the style-shifting and focuses on how speakers use language as a scaffold for formulating and expressing attitudes about others. It discusses politeness – a feature of language which is clearly very heavily affected by cultural and societal norms or expectations, but which is generally expressed and realised between individuals. The book examines the effects that social class or speakers' social networks have on the variation that exists in the community at large. It also focuses on the effect of gender on speech, and distinguishes 'gender' from 'sex' and makes connections with recent attention to 'sexuality' as an identity that affects how people talk.
