The Linguistics Journal September 2009 Special Edition Language

The Linguistics Journal – September 2009
Foreword
Francesco Cavallaro, Andrea Milde, & Peter Sercombe
Associate Editors
We are very proud to present this first Special Edition of The Linguistics Journal. The purpose of The
Linguistics Journal is to provide a means for the dissemination of original and high quality research in
theoretical as well as Applied Linguistics. It is gratifying to all of us involved with the journal to see how
much we have grown in recent times both in terms of readership and of the quality of publications. The
journal is increasingly attracting a bigger readership and is gaining wider recognition as an international
scholarly journal of Linguistics. This is due to the high quality of the articles published, and these high
standards have been possible due to the many talented authors who submit their research to us and to our
capable team of editors and proofreaders who make sure all published articles are of the highest possible
standards.
This is the first Special Edition commissioned by the journal. It is the product of a year-long process that
has excited and challenged us as editors of this burgeoning linguistics journal. As the first Special
Edition we decided to focus on the sociolinguistic exploration of Asian languages, cultures and identities
and we are pleased to present eight articles on this theme, which are further confirmation of the great
progress our journal has made in the last few years.
Sociolinguistic research by Asians in Asia has received relatively little recognition in other parts of the
world, especially work done in India and Japan in the early 20 th century (Coulmas 2005). Back in 1992,
Kingsley Bolton deliberated on how to ‘marry’ western Linguistics with the burgeoning Asian style of
research. Today, Sociolinguistics in Asia has come to be more rightfully recognised, as exemplified by
The Linguistics Journal – Special Edition Page 4