This introduction to sociolinguistics is presented in four parts. The first part gives an overview of this branch of language study, its scope and principles of inquiry, and its basic and key concepts. This portion is written for individuals with no prior knowledge or expertise in the subject. Topics covered in this section include: the nature of the social study of language; the ethnography of speech and the structure of conversation; variations in speech; language styles, gender, and social class; bilinguals and bilingualism; societal multilingualism; and the scope of applied sociolinguistics. The second part consists of readings from specialist literature that focus on specific aspects of sociolinguistic study, accompanied by study questions that encourage the reader to direct attention to points in each text, how they compare across texts, and how they address issues presented in the overview. The third section contains a 40-item annotated bibliography keyed to the chapters in the first section, with the level of specialization noted for each citation. The fourth section is a glossary. (MSE)