Authority in Language

This book has a great track record; of its kind its the best on the market. - Deborah Cameron, University of Strathclyde
This influential and widely used book has been extensively revised and includes a new chapter on linguistic discrimination on the basis of class, race and ethnicity. Other topics covered include:

• National Curriculum and arguments about linguistic correctness *

• new varieties of English (including African American English)

• attitudes to language These revisions ensure Authority in Language remains topical and up-to-date.

Authority in Language explores the controversial notion of 'correct' and 'incorrect' language. In this fully revised and updated third edition, the authors offer the most recent arguments in the long-running debate over the teaching of Standard English in the US and Britain. They compare the language ideologies in both countries, including a discussion of the English Only movement and the Ebonics controversy in the US, and consider the historical process of standardization and its social consequences, in particular discrimination against low status and ethnic minority groups on the basis of their language traits. Indispensable for anyone with an interest in how language functions to discriminate, Authority in Language provides the most up-to-date treatment of the subject available today.