Introduction

Abstract

AbstractThis introductory chapter explores interconnections between the notions of style, media, and change. It argues for a need to develop an orientation to change in sociolinguistics that is fully sensitive to and critically engaged with social change, and which can address reconfigurations in the language-society nexus under conditions of accelerating mediatization. The notion of style allows sociolinguists to explore aspects of stability as well as change in language use, it addresses the negotiation of social meaning across multiple semiotic modes, and it offers an analytical framework within which links between social action, identity, and social context may be investigated. Because of these affordances, the chapter argues, style holds the potential to provide a unifying perspective for sociolinguistic approaches to media and change. The chapter concludes with a comprehensive overview of the main analytic chapters of the book.