162 SOCIAL SCIENTIST and range of coverage. This is a welcome change. Single volume encyclopedias tend to be abridged versions of previously published, longer editions, and are often short both on clarity and up-to-dateness. In the present work, each section attempts a self-contained presentation of a major theme in language study, with cross references included to related sections and topics. This not only aids information gathering in a fairly comprehensive way, but more significantly, anticipates the diverse routes taken by readers searching for information. A precise, three-page table of contents makes information accessible almost at a glance. Page layouts are visually varied, combining the basic text with imaginatively conceived tables, graphics, and anecdotal material from a variety of sources. As a result, each part of the page is informative, without at the same time suffering form densely packed structure that makes traditional encyclopedias fairly intimidating. The communication of ideas, emotions, and ritual social exchanges, is the most widely recognised function of language, and the encyclopedia provides a comprehensive, informative and imaginative account of these areas, not only from the linguistic and literary points of view, but also from varied philosophical, social, biological and technological perspectives. The present work also emphasises at least two other functions that have acquired great significance in contemporary times. One of these is the sense of identity that language use provides to users. Depending on the social situation this may work either as a unifying factor, or encourage a sense of exclusivity that could be disruptive. In any case, in contemporary societies, frequently characterised by high social mobility and multi-ethnicity, linguistic identity constitutes a volatile social input that requires careful attention. The encyclopedia introduces the distinction between language and dialect, locating it in an urban setting rather than in the purely geographical context, marked by oppositions of urban-rural, literate-illiterate, within which it was relevant in the past. consequently social indices such as age, sex, social class, and ethnic group emerge as critical foci for investigation. At the same time the impact of specifically urban standardising tendencies in merging or subsuming dialects into 'languages', as seen in the blurring of speech patterns of once-distinct communities, and the powerful influence of mass media in stabilising linguistic norms, are brought into prominence. The other function, dramatically foregrounded by the electronic revolution, displays the changing form of language as a result of advances in the recording and storage of information. Here the characteristic 'dialogue* form of language as communication recedes in order to make room for the possibility of a future use by as yet unknown recipients of the information so stored. The information has to be as