Hellinger and Ammon have compiled a volume of 21 papers that cover a broad range ofsociolinguistic topics, with a primary focus on Western Europe. In their introduction, the editorsconsider approaches to sociolinguistics, grounding this volume in Hymes' originaldiscussion of language as a social phenomenon. According to the editors, the authors of thesepapers “seek to relate findings to underlying social, cultural or political structures”(p. 4).