2011م - 1444هـ
Sociolinguistics

Isabella Paoletti

Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal



abstract The aim of this Sociopedia.isa entry is to provide a brief description of this interdisciplinary

area of research, and to sketch its evolution. The article stresses the importance of maintaining and developing the legacy of interdisciplinary connections developed in the past and the social commitments

behind many of these studies. After describing the main areas in sociolinguistics, some recent directions

are outlined, introducing some of its most promising developments.

keywords discursive approaches to human sciences u ethnography of communication u language

contact and language rights u language and society u sociolinguistics u variationist sociolinguistics