Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 06:48:44 -0600

From: "Timothy C. Frazer" mftcf[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UXA.ECN.BGU.EDU

Subject: Re: Books & Students



On Wed, 18 Jan 1995, Natalie Maynor wrote:



I'm enjoying using Chaika's book, btw, in spite of the strange ideas about

dogs. I changed to it this year after having used Wardhaugh the only other

times I've taught Sociolinguistics. Wardhaugh put the students to sleep.

Chaika wakes them up. I consider that important.



Yes, Chaika's text does wake them up, and its about the only one

I'vefound that does not put them to sleep. I especially like the

exercises after each chapter. I made my students do one for each ch. and

write them up.



I do find other places where the details are not always accurate,

although they've been improved in succesive editions. Some ofthe stuff

on VBE is dated (we've been over that on this net); some of the stuff on

language and gender may be as well.



The structure of some chapters is a bit rambling.

But students still like it better than other stuff.

Most textbooks have a hard time, it seems, addresseing laypeople and not

professional linguists.



Tim