Gerard Van Herk is a Canada Research Chair in Regional Language and Oral Text at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He has researched and written on varieties of the English language and is the editor of Data Collection in Sociolinguistics: Methods and Applications (eds. with C. Mallinson and B. Childs, 2013)

What is Sociolinguistics? is a tour through the major issues that define the field, such as region, status, gender, time, language attitudes, interaction, and style, while also exploring the sociolinguistics of multilingualism, culture and ethnicity, language contact, and education, all introduced with excitement, humor, and deep knowledge.

Explores the sociolinguistics of multilingualism, culture and ethnicity, language contact, and education

Provides useful and clear learning features including numerous innovative exercises and project ideas, spotlighted research readings, glossary terms, chapter summaries, and text boxes

The Companion Website for Instructors (www.wiley.com/go/vanherkprofs) has PowerPoint slides for each chapter with suggestions for framing class discussions and exercises, further examples on concepts discussed in the book, tips on additional readings to bring in, and ready-to-go slides for class presentation.

The Companion Website for Students (www.wiley.com/go/vanherk) includes links for every chapter from standard sociolinguistic tools to links designed to spark discussion relevant to each chapter, including video clips, oral histories, articles, and more.