Call for contributions: 'Sociolinguistics: Application and Impact ’

[Dave Sayers]

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**Call for contributions to an edited volume**
‘Sociolinguistics: Application and Impact’
Email for queries: sociolx.impact at gmail.com
Please forward this to interested individuals or email lists.
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Compared to other subfields of linguistics, sociolinguistics has been 
relatively outward facing since its inception. In one sense, this 
follows naturally when collecting data from people in everyday 
situations. Yet few can accuse sociolinguistics of being particularly 
meddlesome in the political process. Nor has the discipline as a whole 
been overly occupied with improving people’s lives. In fact, despite 
significantly furthering our academic understanding of linguistic 
variation and change, language policy and planning, language and 
identity, language and gender and so on, very few people outside 
academia have ever heard of sociolinguistics -- let alone its influence 
beyond the groves of academe.

Meanwhile, ‘impact’ has become a significant funding criterion in the 
humanities and social sciences, as funding bodies increasingly turn 
their attention to the real-world effects of research. The weighting of 
impact as a percentage of research quality is also set to grow. How does 
sociolinguistics adapt to this? What steps could make sociolinguistics 
more relevant outside academia? How can public engagement with 
sociolinguistic research be facilitated? ‘Sociolinguistics: Application 
and Impact’ aims to address these questions by showcasing contemporary 
sociolinguistic research which demonstrates practical applications 
beyond an academic audience.

Submissions are welcomed from established and emerging sociolinguists, 
whose research contributes to broader discourses of language in society, 
and evinces the value of sociolinguistic research to society.

Areas for consideration include (but are not limited to):
-- Sociolinguistics and education
-- Sociolinguistics and policy-making (not only language policy)
-- Sociolinguistics, the media and the Internet
-- Sociolinguistics in the community
-- Sociolinguistics and industry
Other relevant contributions will be considered.

Submissions should include an abstract of up to 500 words (excluding 
references), accompanied by a description (up to 1500 words) considering 
the questions listed below. These do not all need to be answered, but as 
a guide, your submission should cover at least two of them.

How have you...

1. ...identified a real-world problem of human well-being as a 
motivation for your research?
2. ...significantly involved your participants in the research design, 
the research itself, and the dissemination process?
3. ...used your research to influence institutional and/or government 
policy?
4. ...helped your participants use the research findings to pursue their 
own goals, or improve their lives more generally, beyond the life of the 
research project?
5. ...both ensured wide accessibility and raised awareness of your findings?

Cambridge University Press have expressed interest in the volume, and it 
will be formally submitted to them by the editors once the contributors 
are confirmed.

Deadline for abstract submissions: Friday 4th May 2012.
Editorial decisions on abstracts: Friday 8th June 2012.
Proposal submitted to Cambridge University Press: Monday 2nd July.
Deadline for completed chapters: Friday 3rd May 2013.
Editorial and peer review comments given to authors: Friday 19th July 2013.
Deadline for returning final chapters to editors: Friday 23rd August 2013.

Please consider carefully whether you could meet these deadlines.

Submissions, and any queries, should be directed to 
sociolx.impact at gmail.com.


--
Dr. Robert Lawson (Birmingham City University, UK)
and Dr. Dave Sayers (Swansea University, UK)
Co-Editors, Sociolinguistics: Impact and Applications
sociolx.impact at gmail.com