Cover -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Preface -- Overview of the content of the book and its methodological framework -- PART I SETTING THE SCENE -- Chapter One Geographical and Social Aspects of Variation in English -- 1.1. The concept of variation and variety -- 1.1.1. Geographical and regional variation -- 1.1.1.1. Accent -- 1.2. Standard English -- 1.3. The spread of English outside the British Isles -- 1.4. Social variation -- 1.5. Ethnolects -- 1.6. Registers and styles -- 1.6.1. Slang and antilanguages -- 1.7. Spoken vs. written language -- Chapter Two Variation in Language: Gender and Age -- 2.1. Introduction -- 2.2. An overview of genderlect studies -- 2.2.1. Linguistic etiquette -- 2.3. Age as a sociolinguistic parameter -- Chapter Three Variation and Language Contact -- 3.1. Community of practice -- 3.2. The status and position of English in the modern world -- 3.3. Native and non-native speakers of English -- 3.4. Language contact -- 3.4.1. Borrowing -- 3.4.2. Bilingualism and bilinguality -- 3.4.3. Code-switching -- 3.4.3.1. An overview of code-switching studies -- 3.4.3.2. The Matrix Language in the analysed switches -- 3.4.4. Pidgins and creoles -- 3.4.5. New Englishes -- Chapter Four Computer-Mediated Communication -- 4.1. Computer Mediated Communication as a multifaceted medium -- 4.2. History and development of CMC -- 4.3. Asynchoronous mode -- 4.4. Synchronous mode -- 4.5. Language and the Internet -- 4.6. Computer Mediated Communication as a source of sociolinguistic data -- PART II ANALYSING VARIATION IN ENGLISH -- Chapter Five Attitudes to English in the Outer and Expanding Circles -- 5.1. The scope of the study -- 5.2. History of English in India -- 5.3. History of English in Poland -- 5.4. Attitudes to English as a second and as a foreign language -- 5.5. Attitudes to English in India.

5.6. Attitudes to English in Poland -- Chapter Six Gender and Age in the Analysis of English in the Facebook Medium -- 6.1. Overview of the study -- A. Gender and Age Variation in the British English Group -- 6.2. The scope of the analysis and the sample -- 6.2.1. Length of posts and distribution of topics -- 6.2.2. Strategies of politeness -- 6.2.3. Expressing emotions -- 6.2.4. Informal and non-standard language -- 6.3. Concluding remarks -- B. Gender and Age Variation in the Indian English Group -- 6.4. The scope of the analysis and the sample -- 6.4.1. Length of posts and distribution of topics -- 6.4.2. Strategies of politeness -- 6.4.3. Expressing emotions -- 6.4.4. Informal and non-standard language -- 6.4.5. Indigenous vocabulary -- 6.5. Concluding remarks -- C. Gender and Age Variation in the Polish English Group -- 6.6. The scope of the analysis and the sample -- 6.6.1. Length of posts and distribution of topics -- 6.6.2. Strategies of politeness -- 6.6.3. Expressing emotions -- 6.6.4. Informal and non-standard language -- 6.6.5. Humour and linguistic creativity -- 6.7. Concluding remarks -- Chapter Seven Functions of Code-Switching in Hindi and Polish Facebook Users' Posts -- 7.1. Overview of the analysis -- 7.2. Form and function of posts in English in the two study groups -- 7.3. Code-switching in the Polish and Indian posts -- 7.4. Structural typology of the switches -- 7.5. Functions of Polish-English and Hindi-Englishs witches -- 7.5.1. Polish-English switches -- a) elements of humour, introducing a light and friendly tone, marking in-group membership -- b) language economy -- c) quotes -- d) inclusion of others who do not speak the Polish language -- e) context specificity -- 7.5.2. Hindi-English switches -- a) emphasis and reinforcement, expressing emotions -- b) specific vocabulary -- c) quotes -- 7.6. Concluding remarks.

Conclusions -- References.