In this timely work, leading theorist Alastair Pennycook turns his attention to the concept of posthumanism in applied linguistics. With an increased focus on the planet and the environment, and a reconsideration of what it means to be human, this book locates itself in compelling contemporary debates: Where do humans end and the outside world begin? How are language and thought distributed in the world? Drawing on a range of contexts and data sources, from urban multilingualism to ecolinguistic studies of animal communication, Pennycook's engaging argument for a shift in our conception of language and communication isessential reading for all in applied linguistics and sociolinguistics.