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The Community of Practice: Theories and methodologies in language and gender research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 1999

JANET HOLMES  and
MIRIAM MEYERHOFF
JANET HOLMES
Affiliation:
School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand, [email protected]
MIRIAM MEYERHOFF
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, [email protected]
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Abstract

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This article provides an introduction to this issue of Language in Society by exploring the relationship of the concept of Community of Practice (CofP) to related terms and theoretical frameworks. The criterial characteristics and constitutive features of a CofP are examined; the article points out how a CofP framework is distinguished from other sociolinguistic and social psychological frameworks, including social identity theory, speech community, social network and social constructionist approaches.

Keywords

Community of Practicespeech communitygendersexsocial practiceethnographic sociolinguisticsdiscourse analysis
Type
Research Article
Information
Language in Society , Volume 28 , Issue 2 , April 1999 , pp. 173 - 183
Copyright
© 1999 Cambridge University Press