This is an introduction to those aspects of sociolinguisticsbroadly described as the sociology of language; the effect oflanguage and dialect differences on society. Beginning with a general description of the social consequencesof several languages being used in one society, Ralph Fasold moveson to discuss 'diglossia', the phenomena by which social functionsare assigned to languages and dialects in a predictable manner.Other aspects of the subject covered here include social attitudestowards various languages and dialects, the social forces whichinfluence multilingual people to use different language sindifferent situations, and wholesale shifts by social groups fromone language to another (and the converse, retention of particularlanguages. The theory and practice of language planning, and thesignificance of language in education, are examined and explained.In addition, the book deals with qualitative and quantitativemethods of analysing multilingualism and includes a helpful chapteron statistical techniques. Written by a leading sociolinguist and teacher, this textbook isa comprehensive and authoritative guide to the field. With thebeginner in mind, the author writes in a clear, relaxed style,explaining current theories and giving many examples from all partsof the world. The second volume of this book, The Sociolinguisticsof Language makes up the definitive introductory account of thesubject for students throughout the world. This volume is the companion of The Sociolinguistics ofLanguage. Together these books will make up a definitiveintroductory account of the subject for students throughout theworld.