Voices from oblivion

While acknowledging the innovative thrust of the sociolinguistics of globalization as a dominant branch of sociolinguistics in the first quarter of the 21st century, this paper questions some of its sweeping generalizations when it comes to portraying the contributions of ‘older’ branches of sociolinguistics (including so-called ‘Fishmanian sociolinguistics’) to the advancement of the study of language in society. By respectfully drawing on the work of a variety of scholars, it seeks to highlight how a systematic historiography of the ideas, beliefs, and conceptual frameworks that have shaped and continue to shape sociolinguistics can help to offer a richer and more nuanced sense of its colorful past as a basis to face some of the societal challenges ahead. It is argued that such an approach could be particularly beneficial for language policy and planning as a field of study that seeks to bridge the divide between academia and real life.