This series creates a space for innovative scholarship examining the ways language functions as a powerful meaning-making resource for constructing identities, managing relationships and building communities. Grounded in new, data-driven methodologies, quantitative and qualitative, and engaging a diverse range of communicative and textual practices, the series embraces work from variationist sociolinguistics through to discourse studies, linguistic anthropology and social semiotics. Monographs and edited volumes are welcomed, as is any work that explicitly situates language in its political, economic and cultural contexts, and/or intersects with other modes of communication such as visual images, material culture, space/place, and nonverbal communication.

The current series was conceived in 2015, but it actually emerged from two earlier book series also published by De Gruyter Mouton. Founded in 1999 by Richard Watts and Monica Heller as Language, Power and Social Process, the series ran until 2011 although Monica had stepped down in 2008. From 2011, the series continued under the new name Language and Social Processes, with David Britain joining Richard Watts as editor. When Richard stepped down at the end of 2014, Crispin Thurlow joined David as editor; this is when David and Crispin worked together on updating the series with an expanded, more contemporary scope and a more fitting title: Language and Social Life.

To discuss your book idea or submit a proposal, please contact Natalie Fecher.

Andrew Linn, University of Westminster, UK

This book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in researching or just learning more about the changing role and status of English across Europe. The status of English today is explained in its historical context before the authors present some of the key debates and ideas relating to the challenge English poses for learners, teachers, and language policy makers.