Sociophonetics - the interface of sociolinguistics and phonetics - is a field that has expanded rapidly in recent years. A subject that requires both methodological and theoretical assessment for study, sociophonetics has never before been presented in a way that ties these fundamental strands together so successfully. This comprehensive and user friendly introduction seamlessly marries the dual cores of sociophonetics into one accessible text. In a methodical and structured approach,Sociophonetics: An Introduction: - Provides detailed analysis of phonetic variables, discussing consonants, vowels, prosody and voice quality - Includes clear and thorough explanations of how to measure linguistic phenomena and conduct acoustic analyses and perception experiments - Covers a variety of theoretical approaches, including exemplar theory and cognitive sociolinguistics - Examines, through theoretical issues, how sociolinguistics, phonetics and cognitive linguistics are linked Thomas' innovative and friendly introduction to sociophonetics presents both a guide for advanced beginners as well as a basis for further development of professional research.