Language and identity discusses the concept of identity from multiple perspectives, from the microsocial (including personal names, language, religion, gender) to the macrosocial (nationalism concerns and language planning). Ch. 1 gives a brief overview of the book. Ch. 2 defines the notion of identity and breaks it down into two facets: personal and social. Ch. 3 continues this discussion by bringing in the everyday naming practices used to create and reproduce individuals' identities. It goes on to highlight how names, and voices, are appropriated by both insiders and outsiders for various ends.

Chs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 highlight the importance of language and how language interacts with other factors like dialect, religion, and gender. Ch. 4 gives an overview of the current definitions of language and then goes on to define a dialect as “a variety of a language that differs from others strictly from three dimensions: vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation (accent)” (63). It stresses that all dialects are valid and should not be regarded as aberrant varieties. It also considers the implications of the standard and nonstandard dialects. Ch. 5 then pushes the discussion of dialects beyond the simple binary of standard and nonstandard, and argues for the examination of dialects in and of themselves as a whole and rich variety. Ebonics is used as an example in this chapter to demonstrate the legitimacy and linguistic richness of this variety. The chapter ends with a survey of work done by various scholars on dialect evaluation and language attitudes in relation to class and ethnic variation. Ch. 6 talks about the importance of religion in relation to language. For example, people who claim to speak God's language can have special claims to a chosen and more intimate relationship with divinity. More importantly, speaking the same language can give its speakers a sense of oneness in terms of religion and identity. Ch. 7 examines the interaction between language, sex, and gender and gives a broad overview of gender variation in speech. One possible reason for gender variation lies in the fact that men and women have been socialized into disparate speech norms. It is also suggested that these norms may be under contestation today. For example, with their heightened usage of vulgarities, women are no longer being more polite.

Chs. 8 and 9 give a general overview and assessment of key terminology involving nationalism, civic nationalism, ethnicity, and modernity, with a historical overview of these concepts and some case studies. Ch. 10 links language with nationalism. While an ethnic identity can be a composite of multiple factors, a language has ramifications for one's ethnic identity—it highlights group boundaries. This has impacts on linguistic purism and prescriptivism, where there is fear that one language is under siege and action must be taken to defend it in its unadulterated form. This then leads to Ch. 11, where language planning is discussed as a formal topic in sociolinguistics and applied linguistics. In a field filled with complexities relating to the multifaceted nature of identity, a new notion of language ecology has arisen, in which the study (and planning) of a language involves the holistic study of the environments the languages are found in.