Subject: sociolinguistics & anthropological linguistics

the english language in pakistan edited by robert j . baumgardner in its present context of use , english in pakistan has assimilated diverse linguistic features which reflect the multilingual , multicultural character of the language 's " new " south asian home . the present volume brings together for the first time essays on historical , sociological , pedagogical , and linguistic perspectives of the pakistani the english language in pakistan . september 1998 344 pp . ; 37 halftones and linecuts 0-19 - 577444 - 2 $ 29 . 95 oxford university press kids talk : strategic language use in later childhood edited by susan m . hoyle , national library of medicine , and carolyn temple adger , center for applied linguistics , washington dc ( oxford studies in sociolinguistics ) between early childhood and adulthood , language acquisition is succeeded by a bloom of repertoire for managing interaction , a growing sensitivity to the relation of language and society , an expanding ability to wield power through the strategic use of language , and an increasing sophistication in framing speech activities . this book examines a wide range of language practices among school-age children and teenagers , using data from naturally occurring recorded talk and from careful observation of interaction in peer groups . the contributors analyze talk at play , at school , and at work , documenting the growing communicative skills of young people while always focusing on what young speakers themselves do with ( and through ) language . theoretical constructs to which the contributors appeal include goffman 's notion of footing and hymes ' communicative competence , as well as multiple characterizations of discourse structure . the chapters show older children as strategic language users , dynamic actors who are often concerned with defining themselves as a distinctive group , different from adults , yet who just as often display proficiency at sophisticated discourse activities that presage those of adulthood . september 1998 312 pp . ; 10 halftones , 6 linecuts 0-19 - 509893 - 5 paper $ 35 . 00 0-19 - 509892 - 7 cloth $ 75 . 00 oxforduniversity press ideology in the language of judges : how judges practice law , politics , and courtroom control susan u . philips , university of arizona ( oxford studies in anthropological linguistics 17 ) " a masterful achievement . . . . [ this ] will quickly become a major text in the literatures both on ideology in discourse and on legal discourse . " - - deborah tannen , georgetown university a study that will appeal to any reader interested in the relationship between our language and our laws , ideology in the language of judges focuses on the way judges take guilty pleas from criminal defendants and on the judges ' views of their own courtroom behavior . this book argues that variation in the discourse structure of the guilty pleas can best be understood as enactments of the judges ' differing interpretations of due process law and the proper role of the judge in the courtroom . susan philips demonstrates how legal and professional ideologies are expressed differently in interviews and socially occurring speech , and reveals how bounded written and spoken genres of legal discourse play a role in containing and ordering ideological diversity in language use . she also shows how the ideological struggles in a given courtroom are central yet largely hidden or denied . such findings will contribute significantly to the study of how speakers create realities through their use of language . april 1998 224 pp . 0-19 - 511341 - 1 paper $ 29 . 95 0-19 - 511340 - 3 cloth $ 59 . 00 oxford university press on reconstructing grammar : comparative cariban morphosyntax spike gildea , rice university ( oxford studies in anthropological linguistics 18 ) this book has two important aims . the first is to argue that grammaticalization theory has advanced to the point where it can be used with the comparative method to reconstruct the grammar of proto - languages . the second is to give a detailed case-study of this methodology by examining the typologically interesting cariban language family of south america - - a language group that has , according to most linguists , an impossible ( that is , far too technical ) syntactic structure . spike gildea 's findings answer long-standing questions about the historical reconstruction of grammar and will interest linguists concerned with south american languages and with grammaticalization , as well as those working in the descriptive or functional traditions . september 1998 304 pp . ; 15 linecuts 0-19 - 510952 - x $ 85 . 00 oxford university press _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for more information about linguistics titles from oxford : visit the oxford university press usa web site at http : / / www . oup-usa . org or e-mail : linguistics @ oup-usa . org
