This series creates a space for innovative scholarship examining the ways language functions as
a powerful meaning-making resource for constructing identities managing relationships and
building communities. Grounded in new data-driven methodologies quantitative and qualitative
and engaging a diverse range of communicative and textual practices the series embraces work
from variationist sociolinguistics through to discourse studies linguistic anthropology and
social semiotics. Monographs and edited volumes are welcomed as is any work that explicitly
situates language in its political economic and cultural contexts and or intersects with
other modes of communication such as visual images material culture space place and
nonverbal communication. The current series was conceived in 2015 but it actually emerged from
two earlier book series also published by De Gruyter Mouton. Founded in 1999 by Richard Watts
and Monica Heller as Language Power and Social Process the series ran until 2011 although
Monica had stepped down in 2008. From 2011 the series continued under the new name Language
and Social Processes with David Britain joining Richard Watts as editor. When Richard stepped
down at the end of 2014 Crispin Thurlow joined David as editor this is when David and Crispin
worked together on updating the series with an expanded more contemporary scope and a more
fitting title: Language and Social Life. To discuss your book idea or submit a proposal please
contact Natalie Fecher.
