This new edition of the best selling, topic-based introduction to spoken and written English, is now fully revised and expanded with over 50% more material. This practical volume provides a wide range of written texts and transcriptions of speech for commentary and analysis. There are further practical activities and new sections on areas such as 'politically correct' usage.

The 'story' of English is continually re-told and re-written, as more and more people use the language and have a part in shaping the way it develops. Varieties of Modern English provides a critical introduction to the study of regional, social, gendered, context- and medium-related varieties of the language, and explores some of the debates concerning the role and impact of English in different parts of the world today. Beginning by outlining the main types of variation in language, the book focuses on the link between language or dialect and the construction of both group and individual identities. Issues of identity are crucial to chapters on the roots of Modern English, on gender and English, on ethnicity and English and on English as an international language. As well as looking at a range of 'users' of the language, Davies also explores many of its 'uses' and modes, including the English of literary texts, advertising, newspaper reporting and commentary, political speeches, email and text messaging. Written in a discursive, student-friendly style, the book also provides: * A rich mix of illustrative material * End-of-chapter Activities and related Comments at the end of the book * Suggestions for further reading Varieties of Modern English provides a thought-provoking overview of its subject and will be invaluable reading for students of English Language and Linguistics.

From Scotland to Singapore, Canada to the Channel Islands, Namibia to New Zealand and beyond, International English takes you on a fascinating journey through the varieties of Standard English spoken around the world. Comparisons across the varieties provide a comprehensive guide to differences in phonetics, phonology, grammar and vocabulary, providing a useful resource for teachers of English as a foreign language and linguistics students alike. In this fifth edition the authors have added a new discussion of what Standard English really is, as well as an outline of typologies of varieties of English including ELF 'English as a lingua franca'. This new material will be of particular interest to teachers and advanced learners of English as a foreign or second language as well as students of sociolinguistics, English language and language variation. MP3 files, ideal for use in class, at home or on the move, are free to download from our website, www.hodderplus.com/linguistics, and feature audio examples from throughout the text. The new material, coupled with a thorough updating of the remaining text and references, ensures that International English will remain a favourite and indispensable resource for teachers and students for many years to come.

This is a unique introductory survey of the main regional and social varieties of English spoken in the British Isles. In the book, the authors discuss accent and dialect in the broader framework of language variation, including phonetic, phonological, grammatical, lexical, historical and stylistic differences. This is followed by a survey of the speech of twelve different areas of the British Isles. The cassette which accompanies the book consists of edited interviews (all transcribed in the book) with speakers from each of the different areas. The third edition has been thoroughly revised and includes an entirely new chapter on Received Pronunciation. The cassette now includes recordings of three different varieties of RP speech. Entirely new sections, with corresponding recordings, have been added on Lowland Scots, Devon and Dublin speech.

A Dictionary of Varieties of English presents a comprehensive listing of the distinctive dialects and forms of English spoken throughout the contemporary world. Provides an invaluable introduction and guide to current research trends in the field Includes definitions both for the varieties of English and regions they feature, and for terms and concepts derived from a linguistic analysis of these varieties Explores important research issues including the transportation of dialects of English, the rise of ‘New Englishes’, sociolinguistic investigations of various English-speaking locales, and the study of language contact and change. Reflects our increased awareness of global forms of English, and the advances made in the study of varieties of the language in recent decades Creates an invaluable, informative resource for students and scholars alike, spanning the rich and diverse linguistic varieties of the most widely accepted language of international communication

This volume is one of the first detailed expositions of the history of different varieties of English. It explores language variation and varieties of English from an historical perspective, covering theoretical topics such as diffusion and supraregionalization as well as concrete descriptions of the internal and external historical developments of more than a dozen varieties of English including American English, African American Vernacular English, Received Pronunciation, Estuary English, and English in Canada, Africa, India, Wales, among many others.