This book is intended as a resource for sociolinguists and scholars in related fields who deal with sociolinguistic concepts. Though not specifically aimed at the field of SLA, this book is a valuable resource for scholars in that field.

Following a brief note to readers that describes the purpose of the volume and structure of the entries are 885 dictionary entries. Most entries include crossreferences to related terms in the volume (on average 3–4 per entry), or reference further reading, or both. The book includes an extensive bibliography (578 references) and six figures. Entries relate to “contemporary sociolinguistics as this has developed since the 1960s” (p. vii) as well as some older work and contemporary work in related fields. The bulk of the entries (approximately 50.1%) is specifically related to sociolinguistic theories. The authors also include general linguistic terms and theories commonly used by sociolinguists (about 32% of entries; these are primarily related to phonetics-phonology and pragmatics-discourse analysis); terms and concepts from sociology, psychology, anthropology, and other fields (about 11%); terms specific to SLA (almost 3%) and statistics (about 1.5%); and the names of 22 major figures in the field (about 2.4% of entries). (Percentages given should be viewed as a good estimate rather than an absolute truth, as many entries can logically fit into more than one category. For this calculation, I chose only one category per entry, except where different senses of an entry belong to different categories; for example, in the case of gender, grammatical gender is a general linguistic concept, whereas gender as a socially constructed category of identity is a sociological concept.) An explicit connection is made between sociolinguistics and many of the terms drawn from other fields and the entries are written in nontechnical prose. There is some overlap in the material covered by individual entries; the authors chose to do this (instead of more extensive crossreferencing) for the sake of clarity.

The authors are remarkably successful in their attempt to “map out the traditions and approaches that comprise sociolinguistics and thus help to locate and contextualize terms and concepts” (p. vii). An entry referring to a theory (e.g., variationist sociolinguistics) typically describes the basic tenets of that theory, gives the author(s) who first proposed it, crossreferences important terms used by researchers working within that theory, and may also include a sample analysis or major criticism of that theory, or both. An entry referring to a sociolinguistic term (e.g., change from above) typically defines the term, situates it within one or more theoretical frameworks, and crossreferences related terms and theories. This approach allows readers to understand the connectedness of theories and concepts without extensive consultation of the literature, making this the perfect resource for nonsociolinguists dealing in passing with sociolinguistics. The references provided give the reader the option of going to the literature, if desired.

For scholars in fields loosely tied to sociolinguistics, such as SLA, coverage of particular subtopics is especially useful. For example, several entries relating to sociolinguistic methods (e.g., matched guise, danger of death (interview question)) and statistical measures (e.g., chi-square, judgment sample) are included. Additionally, particular attention is paid to terms not used consistently in the field. The authors carefully flesh out differences in usage so that the reader can identify the sense of the term he or she encounters in reading. SLA researchers will also appreciate the inclusion of concepts relating to bilingualism and pidgin and creole linguistics.

The only criticism is that some entries are maddeningly short, though the dictionary format of this volume and broad coverage of sociolinguistic theories attempted here require that they be. Crossreferences to related terms mitigate the problem, and readers are referred to Mesthrie's (2000) Concise encyclopaedia of sociolinguistics and Crystal's (2002) Dictionary of linguistics and phonetics for fuller coverage of sociolinguistic topics and coverage of general linguistic concepts not dealt with here as well as to primary literature, where appropriate.

This book is strongly recommended as a reference for SLA researchers and students.