Journal of Language Situation and Language Service
JLSLS, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2025, pp.329-337.
Print ISSN: 3078-3755; Online ISSN: 3104-5065
Journal homepage: https://www.lslsjournal.com
DOI：Https://doi.org/10.64058/JLSLS.25.2.12
Janus at the Threshold of Language and Society
——A Review of James Walker’s Language in Its Social Context: An Introduction to Sociolinguistics [1]
Dong Hongjie, Luo Chenbai
Abstract: This article reviews James Walker’s Language in Its Social Context: An Introduction to Sociolinguistics as a coherent and pedagogically oriented introduction to the field. We argue that the book largely fulfils its aim of serving as a single, self-contained textbook for readers with no prior training in linguistics, without sacrificing theoretical and methodological rigour. The review first outlines the structure of the volume, tracing how it moves from language ideologies, multilingualism and interpersonal interaction to regional and social variation, style, social categories, language change, language contact and mode and media. It then highlights five main strengths: the easy-to-follow and modular chapter design; the steady integration of quantitative and qualitative methods, including basic statistical reasoning; the truly global range of linguistic and social settings combined with English-based examples; the clear and insightful discussion of language ideologies; and the engaging prose style that presents different theoretical traditions in a balanced and historically informed way. Finally, we note that the concluding chapter on mode and media, though timely and welcome, would benefit from a fuller engagement with recent research on digital communication, multimodal practices, and emerging forms of variation and identity work in online and signed-language contexts. Overall, we conclude that Walker’s book offers a rigorous, up-to-date and unusually integrated picture of sociolinguistics, making it a strong core text for both introductory and more advanced courses.
Keywords: sociolinguistics; language ideologies; style and variation; media and modality; methodology
Author Biography: Dong Hongjie, Professor, Ph.D, School of Liberal Arts, Xi’an University. E-mail: donghongjie@xawl.edu.cn. Luo Chenbai, Corresponding author, Ph.D, Candidate in Linguistics, Faculty of Arts, Charles University. E-mail: luoch@ff.cuni.cz.
标题：“雅努斯”，语言与社会的交界——评詹姆斯·沃克的《社会语境下的语言：社会语言学导论》
摘要：本文评介了詹姆斯·沃克的《社会语境下的语言：社会语言学导论》一书。该书框架严谨、教学导向明确，是“一本通”式的社会语言学教材，既考虑了非语言学背景的读者的需求，又保持了理论诠释与方法论呈现的严谨。全书以语言意识形态、多语现象及人际互动为起点，继而扩展至地域与社会变异、语言风格、社会范畴、语言演变、语言接触以及模态与媒介等议题，形成由微观互动到宏观结构的递进式论述。本文概况了该书的五大亮点：一是章节设计清晰易懂且自成模块；二是有机融合了定量与定性的研究方法，其中对数据统计方法的呈现尤为突出；三是案例选取兼具全球视野与易读性，以英语研究案例为主要例证，同时涵盖多种语言和社会情境。四是语言意识形态相关讨论条例清晰、论述深入；五是能在梳理历史脉络的基础上，对社会语言学领域不同理论传统作出兼容并蓄的整合性介绍。与此同时，书中第14章所设的“模态与媒介”内容十分切合当下议题，但在与数字传播、多模态实践，以及线上和手语情境下的变异与身份建构等前沿研究的结合方面仍有深化空间。总体而言，该书为读者提供了一副完整而前沿的社会语言学知识图谱，适合作为本科及研究生阶段的核心教材。
关键词：社会语言学；语言意识形态；风格与变异；媒介与模态；方法论
作者简介：董洪杰，博士，西安文理学院文学院教授。电邮：donghongjie@xawl.edu.cn。雒晨柏，通讯作者，语言学博士研究生，查理大学文学院。电邮：luoch@ff.cuni.cz。
Received: 18 Nov 2025 / Revised: 24 Nov 2025 / Accepted: 27 Nov 2025 / Published online: 30 Nov 2025 / Print published: 30 Dec 2025.
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