The revised edition of Sociolinguistic Theory presents a critical synthesis of sociolinguistics, centering on the study of language variation and change. * A revised introduction to sociolinguistic theory by one of the top scholars in the field * Provides a critical synthesis of sociolinguistics that centres on the study of language variation and change, now incorporating the latest developments in the field * Shows how empirical explorations have made sociolinguistics the most stimulating field in the contemporary study of language * Discusses the linguistic variable and its significance, crucial social variables such as social stratification, sex, and age, and the cultural significance of linguistic variation