When foreign learners of English take up an English course, they are commonly taught the standard form of the language. However, when they visit an English-speaking country for the first time (e.g. the UK), they face difficulties in understanding the real English, mostly in terms of pronunciation differences. Why? This and many other questions are answered in this book, which explores the hidden mechanisms of how language works, the complex relationship between language and ideologies, and describes language as a social phenomenon by showing how societal structures affect the way people talk, particularly in Eastern England. Other topics covered include fieldwork and data analysis for students and researchers embarking on research projects in Sociolinguistics.