Needed Research in American Dialects brings together some of the most highly recognized specialists in the fields of sociolinguistics and dialectology to offer a rare survey of the field’s last twenty years and an investigation into the future study of language variation and change in North America. The volume recognizes the distinct merging of interests among dialectologists, sociolinguists, and students of language with theories of language generally. Essays address the areal distribution of sounds, words, and constructions and focus on social depth and discourse practices, perhaps the two most influential styles of contemporary research. The volume also includes extensive coverage of variation in languages other than English and clearly indicates research that remains to be done.

Contributors. Sharon Ash, Richard Bailey, Robert Bayley, Connie C. Eble, Penelope Eckert, Ralph W. Fasold, Joan Houston Hall, Barbara Johnstone, Ruth King, William A. Kretzschmar, Michael Montgomery, Dennis R. Preston