Genderlect? Dialect? Sociolect? - An Introduction to the Diversity of the German Language. This volume provides an overview of the history, theories, and directions, as well as research methods of sociolinguistics in the German language. It considers central social factors (including social and regional background, gender, generation, social group) and processes (especially migration, multilingualism, language change) in their influence on language use in German, particularly in the present day. Subjective factors of language evaluations and attitudes, as well as the influences of sociolinguistics on schools and language instruction, are also included. The volume is specifically tailored to a central theme of German studies examination and study regulations, making it an excellent resource for independently exploring this exciting field of research.