We live in a multilingual; transforming society in which language plays a dynamic and central role. We use it every day for communication and it is not possible to imagine life without it – it is generally recognised as a mark of what makes us human. But how often do we think about exactly what language is and how we actually use it? Language; society and communication introduces established and new linguistic concepts and theories; and links these to contemporary issues in society and the media; including new social media; with a particular focus on southern Africa. Language; society and communication explores how language is intricately bound up with issues of power; status and identity. It explores the tension between the diverse nature of everyday language practices; on the one hand; and the societal pressures towards managing and containing this diversity; on the other. It also demonstrates the relevance of linguistic study (e. g. phonology and syntax) to real world problems (e. g. analysis of a child’s acquisition of language); within a southern African context. Study questions and case studies; which relate the theoretical ideas discussed to current research; are provided at the end of each chapter. Language; society and communication is aimed at undergraduate students studying linguistics; language and communication and related fields such as language education.