'This is the book we were waiting for. An informed and innovative introduction that makes us appreciate speech communities as sites for socialization, contestation, and creativity. We come away with a much better understanding of the authority of standard languages, the creativity of marginalized speech styles, and the attraction of new forms of digital literacy. A great resource for teaching and thinking critically about the power of language as well as its limitations.' Alessandro Duranti, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles