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In:Handbook of Pragmatics: 29th Annual Installment
Edited by Frank Brisard, Sigurd D’hondt, Mieke Vandenbroucke and Jana Declercq
[Handbook of Pragmatics 29] 2026
► pp. 81–101

Sociophonetics

ORCiD logo with link | Sorbonne Nouvelle University
ORCiD logo with link | Sorbonne Nouvelle University
ORCiD logo with link | Sorbonne Nouvelle University
ORCiD logo with link | Grenoble Alpes University
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
Sociophonetics is a subfield of linguistics situated at the intersection of the subfields of phonetics and sociolinguistics. It studies heterogeneity and variation of phonetic practices situated in their social environments and the associated social correlates as well as the contributions of the phonetic features to the configuration of these settings. From a pragmatic perspective, sociophonetics examines the way phonetic resources and practices participate in the positioning, co-construction of meaning and co-construction of context in an interaction. In addition to the various approaches frequently adopted in sociophonetic studies, there is also a variety of concepts often given as the theoretical underpinnings of the field. This chapter presents the theoretical foundations, methods and several key studies in the field, with particular attention paid to the relationship between sociophonetic indexicality and pragmatic inference.
Article outline
  • 1.What is sociophonetics?
    • 1.1Defining the field
    • 1.2Approaches to variation
    • 1.3Indexicality
    • 1.4Agency
    • 1.5Critical approaches
  • 2.Methods and objectives of sociophonetic research
    • 2.1What does sociophonetics do?
    • 2.2How does sociophonetics do what it does?
  • 3.Examples of sociophonetic research
    • 3.1English
    • 3.2French
    • 3.3Spanish
    • 3.4Other languages
  • Author queries
  • References
References (65)
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