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:

1. Provides detailed analysis of phonetic variables, discussing consonants, vowels, prosody and voice quality.

2. Includes clear and thorough explanations of how to measure linguistic phenomena and conduct acoustic analyses and perception experiments.

3. Contains almost 200 illustrations of phonetic processes and 'field marks' for the examination of sociolinguistic variables.

4. Covers a variety of theoretical approaches, including exemplar theory and cognitive sociolinguistics.

5. 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 R. THOMAS is Professor in the Department of English at North Carolina State University, USA. He has conducted research on various sociophonetic topics, including aspects of both production and perception. He is the author of An Acoustic Analysis of Vowel Variation in New World English and (with Walt Wolfram) The Development of Africa American English.