new books in sociolinguistics & anthropological linguistics sociolinguistics & anthropological linguistics the sociolinguistics reader volume 1 : multilingualism and variation edited by peter trudgill , university of lausanne , switzerland , and jenny cheshire , queen mary and westfield college , university of london ( arnold linguistics readers ) ( an arnold publication ) this two-volume text presents a state-of - the-art account of the discipline in the closing years of the twentieth century . the books chart the liveliest areas in contemporary sociolinguistics : variation , multilingualism , gender , and discourse and include helpful introductions and other aids to the student and specialist . volume 1 explores the macro-social aspects of sociolinguistics , covering cross-cultural communication problems , the linguistic behavior of bilingual speakers , language contact , the social psychology of language , variation , and the mystery of linguistic change . may 1998 296 pp . ; 37 linecuts 0-340 - 65206 - 3 paper $ 19 . 95 0-340 - 65207 - 1 cloth $ 75 . 00 oxford university press the sociolinguistics reader volume 2 : gender and discourse edited by jenny cheshire , queen mary and westfield college , university of london , and peter trudgill , university of lausanne , switzerland ( arnold linguistics readers ) ( an arnold publication ) volume 2 of this two-volume text looks first at patterns of language variation , how gender identities are accomplished through language , and the importance of gender in accounting for language behavior . it goes on to examine sociolinguistic issues surrounding discourse , with reference to the communication of affective meaning , conversational routines , grammaticalization and language change , intertextuality , and cross-cultural discourse patterns and their social implications . may 1998 416 pp . ; 23 linecuts 0-340 - 69999 - x paper $ 19 . 95 0-340 - 69182 - 4 cloth $ 85 . 00 oxford university press claiming power in doctor-patient talk nancy ainsworth - vaughn , michigan state university ( oxford studies in sociolinguistics ) nancy ainsworth - vaughn studied stories , topic control , " true " questions , and rhetorical questions in 101 medical encounters in us private-practice settings . in exceptionally lucid and accessible style , ainsworth - vaughn explains how power was claimed by and co-constructed for both patients and doctors ( previous studies have focused upon doctors ' power ) . the discourse varied along a continuum from interview-like talk to conversational talk . six chapters are organized around data and include extended examples of actual talk in detailed transcription ; four of these data-oriented chapters focus upon dynamic , moment-to - moment use of speech activities in emerging discourse , such as doctors ' and patients ' stories that co-constructed selves , and a patient 's sexual rhetorical questions . two more chapters offer non-statistical quantitative data on the frequency of questioning and sudden topic changes in relation to gender , diagnosis , and other factors . contributing to discourse theory , ainsworth - vaughn significantly modifies previous definitions for topic transitions and rhetorical questions and discovers the role of storytelling in diagnosis . the final chapter provides implications for physicians and medical educators . june 1998 224 pp . ; 3 halftones 0-19 - 509607 - x paper $ 19 . 95 0-19 - 509606 - 1 cloth $ 45 . 00 oxford university press language ideologies : practice and theory edited by bambi b . schieffelin , new york university , kathryn a . woolard , university of california , san diego , and paul v . kroskrity , university of california , los angeles ( oxford studies in anthropological linguistics 16 ) " language ideologies " are cultural representations , whether explicit or implicit , of the intersection of language and human beings in a social world . mediating between social structures and forms of talk , such ideologies are not only about language . rather , they link language to identity , power , aesthetics , morality and epistemology . through such linkages , language ideologies underpin not only linguistic form and use , but also significant social institutions and fundamental notions of person and community . the essays in this new book examine definitions and conceptions of language in a wide range of societies around the world . contributors focus on how such defining activity organizes language use as well as institutions such as religious ritual , gender relations , the nation-state , schooling , and law . this timely volume will be the first collection of work to appear in this rapidly growing field , which effectively bridges linguistic and social theory . may 1998 352 pp . ; 4 linecuts 0-19 - 510562 - 1 paper $ 35 . 00 0-19 - 510561 - 3 cloth $ 75 . 00 oxford university press oral traditions of anuta : a polynesian outlier in the solomon islands richard feinberg , kent state university ( oxford studies in anthropological linguistics 15 ) anuta is a small polynesian community in the eastern solomon islands that has had minimal contact with outside cultural forces . even at the end of the twentieth century , it remains one of the most traditional and isolated islands in the insular pacific . in oral traditions of anuta , richard feinberg offers a telling collection of anutan historical narratives , including indigenous texts and english translations . this rich , thorough assemblage is the result of a collaborative project between feinberg and a large cross-section of the anutan community that developed over a period of twenty-five years . the volume 's emphasis is ethnographic , consisting of a number of texts as related by the island 's most respected experts in matters of traditional history . feinberg 's annotations , which arm the reader with essential ethnographic and historical contexts , clarify important linguistic and cultural issues that arise from the stories . the texts themselves have important implications for the relationship of oral tradition to history and symbolic structures , and afford new evidence pertinent to polynesian language sub-grouping . further , they provide insight into a number of anutan customs and preoccupations , while also suggesting certain widespread polynesian practices dating back to the pre-contact and early contact periods . may 1998 304 pp . ; 5 linecuts 0-19 - 510683 - 0 $ 85 . 00 oxford university press language obsolescence and revitalization : linguistic change in two sociolinguistically contrasting welsh communities mari c . jones , university of cambridge ( oxford studies in language contact ) mari c . jones 's book is the first to examine developments in contemporary welsh with reference to both language death and standardization . she bases her study on extensive fieldwork in two sociolinguistically contrasting communities she also examines agents of revitalization , such as immersion schools and the media , and the effect they are having on welsh . she explores and discusses the position of breton and cornish by way of comparison . june 1998 464 pp . ; 110 maps and linecuts 0-19 - 823711 - 1 $ 135 . 00 oxford university press _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for more information about linguistics titles from oxford university press : visit the oxford university press usa web site at http : / / www . oup-usa . org or e-mail : linguistics @ oup-usa . org