SIL Publications by Category
Sociolinguistics

Asheninka Stories of Change by Ronald James Anderson, PS 4, 2000, 258 pp., ISBN 978-1-55671-102-2, $30.50

The Ashéninka of the Amazon jungle region of east-central Peru confront change from two perspectives: the individual and the sociohistorical. They recall four centuries of change through their stories.

Assessing Ethnolinguistic Vitality: Theory and Practice, eds. Gloria Kindell & M. Paul Lewis, PS 3, 2000, 220 pp., ISBN 978-1-55671-087-2, $26.50

A collection of selected papers presented at SIL International’s Third International Language Assessment Conference in England (1997).

Borrowing versus Code-Switching by Richard J. Nivens, PS 8, 2002, 230 pp., ISBN 978-1-55671-134-3, $30.50

This study examines the language contact of West Tarangan and Malay in a town in the Aru Islands in southeast Maluku, Indonesia.

Community Partnership in Communications for Ministry by Robert L. Litteral, 1989, 162 pp. $4.50

Deals with cross-cultural ministry in community development and communication, emphasizing participation by the community.

Developing Community Potential by Leon E. Schanely, 1983, 48 pp., ISBN 978-0-88312-924-1, $3.00

Elaborates the theory that community development is a process concerned with helping a community develop their full potential.

The Dynamics of Sango Language Spread by Mark Karan, PS 7, 2001, 164 pp., ISBN 978-1-55671-122-0, $26.50

A framework for discussion, research and intervention in language spread based on the results of a memory span test to evaluate the competence of a large number of subjects in a spreading language, Sango of the Central African Republic.

The Early Days of Sociolinguistics: Memories and Reflections, G. Tucker and Paulston, PLE5, 2010, 376 pp., ISBN 978-1-55671-253-1, $37.00

Provides an insider's perspective on practical and theoretical issues that motivate individuals and institutions to turn to a view of language as inextricably connected to society and culture.

English as a Second Language: Dimensions and Directions edited by Irwin Feigenbaum, 1984, 81 pp., ISBN 978-0-88312-929-6, $10.50

Three lectures presented at the fall 1982 Linguistics Forum which was sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics at the University of Texas of Arlington and SIL International.

K'iche': A Study in the Sociology of Language by M. Paul Lewis, PS 6, 2001, 276 pp., ISBN 978-1-55671-120-6, $30.50

A comprehensive look at language use and attitudes among the K'iche' people of Guatemala, combining qualitative and quantitative analyses.

Language Contact and Composite Structures in New Ireland by Rebecca Sue Jenkins, PLE 4, 2005, 253 pp., ISBN 978-1-55671-156-5, $24.95

In this book, the author examines the relationship of indigenous Austronesian languages and the pidgin/creole language, Tok Pisin.

Language Death in Mesmes: a Sociolinguistic and Historical-Comparative Examination of a Disappearing Ethiopian-Semitic Language by Michael B Ahland, PL 145, 2010, 155 pp., ISBN 978-1-55671-227-2, $25.00

Presents an historical examination of sound change and other developments in the very-nearly extinct Gurage language known as Mesmes while also considering the linguistic and social environments in which the language has been lost.

Reading Is For Knowing: Literacy Acquisition, Retention, and Usage among the Machiguenga by Patricia M Davis, PLE 1, 2004, 332 pp., ISBN 978-1-55671-094-0, $35.50

Bilingual schools were initiated at the end of the 1940s among the Machiguenga people of the Peruvian rainforest. This study presents a forty-year chronology of the sociological and educational aspects of the program.

The Same but Different: Language Use and Attitudes in Four Communities of Burkina Faso by Stuart Showalter, PS 5, 2001, 271 pp., ISBN 978-1-55671-092-6, $30.50

Detailed look into ways in which four communities respond to the everyday linguistic diversity of their milieu. Maps and diagrams add clarity in explaining the linguistic situation.

Sentence Repetition Testing for Studies of Community Bilingualism by Carla F. Radloff, PL 104, 1991, 210 pp., ISBN 978-0-88312-667-7, $16.00

Discusses the use of sentence repetition testing in predicting second-language proficiency.

Survey on a Shoestring: A Manual for Small-Scale Language Survey by Frank Blair, PL 96, 1990, 147 pp., ISBN 978-0-88312-644-8, $12.00

Shows how to conduct sociolinguistic surveys on a small scale without access to funding sometimes available to national language planners.

Understanding Language Choices: A Guide to Sociolinguistic Assessment by Ken Decker and John Grummitt, 2012, 278 pp., ISBN 978-1-55671-331-6 $29.00

This introductory textbook is for anyone studying the motivations behind language use choices. It includes numerous examples and case studies from around the world to illustrate the realities of sociolinguistic field research.