Mercedes Durham Knihy

Focusing on sociolinguistic competence, this book explores how non-native speakers acquire native-like variability in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) settings. It presents unique data derived from email exchanges among Swiss speakers, each with different mother tongues, including German, French, and Italian. The study sheds light on the dynamics of language use and adaptation in multilingual environments, offering insights into communication strategies and the evolution of language in diverse contexts.

This book explores the timeline and methods through which preschool children learn the vernacular norms of their community. It delves into the developmental stages of language acquisition and socialization, highlighting the influence of cultural context on children's understanding and use of language. Through research and analysis, it offers insights into the interplay between language, identity, and community engagement in early childhood.

This volume showcases recent sociolinguistic research about Wales and offers contributions from scholars working on Welsh, English and other languages spoken in the country. The chapters present a range of frameworks and methodologies used in sociolinguistics and apply them to the Welsh linguistic context. This context is very distinctive compared to the rest of the UK and represents a prime ground to observe different aspects of the interplay between language and society. The structure of the volume reflects the linguistic diversity of the country and is divided into three sections. The first section examines recent research on Welsh, the second section focuses on English, and the third section deals with research on Welsh and English together, as well as research on other languages spoken in Wales. The book will be useful to those wanting to discover more about language and society in Wales, as well as to those already working in the field as it offers new perspectives and insights.