Spanish is a pluricentric language, meaning that it has several centers of prestige (e.g., San Juan, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Lima). Moreover, Spanish, like all languages, evinces sociolinguistic variation, in that levels of formality are expressed through the use of different structures. Given this variety, students of Spanish will inevitably come into contact with variation Spanish. This variation in Spanish adds layers of complexity to the learning and instruction of the Spanish language; therefore, a linguistic understanding of variation is crucial for our students to achieve communicative competence. This unique work, which provides an overview of the most important linguistic aspects of Spanish within a context that recognizes variation, assumes no prior linguistic knowledge and is appropriate as a valuable resource manual for teachers and learners of Spanish alike.

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This volume will provide students and linguists alike with valuable perspectives on the living language. It is a must-read for new and experienced teachers of Spanish.

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Assuming no prior linguistic knowledge, this book provides an overview of important aspects of sociolinguistic variation (regional, stylistic) in Spanish and is appropriate as a resource manual for Spanish teachers.

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This book provides invaluable help to Spanish instructors by spelling out in clear and unbiased language the different aspects of dialectal variation that are typically not addressed in standard references.

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With its focus on variation across regional, social, and contact varieties of Spanish, this book will prove essential to students and teachers of Spanish and to anyone with interests in the Spanish language and its speakers.