Sociophonetics - the interface of sociolinguistics and phonetics - is a field that has expanded rapidly in recent years. A subject that requires both methodological and theoretical assessment for study, sociophonetics has never before been presented in a way that ties these fundamental strands together so successfully.

This comprehensive and user friendly introduction seamlessly marries the dual cores of sociophonetics into one accessible text.

In a methodical and structured approach, Sociophonetics: An Introduction:

- Provides detailed analysis of phonetic variables, discussing consonants, vowels, prosody and voice quality
- Includes clear and thorough explanations of how to measure linguistic phenomena and conduct acoustic analyses and perception experiments
- Covers a variety of theoretical approaches, including exemplar theory and cognitive sociolinguistics
- Examines, through theoretical issues, how sociolinguistics, phonetics and cognitive linguistics are linked

Thomas' innovative and friendly introduction to sociophonetics presents both a guide for advanced beginners as well as a basis for further development of professional research.

ERIK THOMAS is Professor in the Department of English at North Carolina State University, USA.

Preface
The Place of Sociophonetics
Production
Perception
Consonants
Vowels
Prosody
Voce Quality
Combinations of Different Types of Features
Variation and the Cognitive Processing of Sounds
Sound Change
Social Factors and Phonetics
Lateral Transfer
Notes
References
Index.