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This introductory paper serves two main purposes. The first is to review the epistomological and methodological underpinnings of economic approaches to language issues, and to propose a definition ofthe economics of language äs a field of research in its own right. The second purpose of this paper is to introduce the contributions gathered in this issue of the International Journal of the Sociology of Language — the first instance ever, to my knowledge, of a scientific Journal devoting an entire issue to the work of economists on language matters.
Language and economic variables influence one another in a number of ways, a fact which inspires much of the existing research. However, the core paradigm of economics, which focuses on resource allocation, can be applied to the study ofa broad ränge of language problems, even if economic variables play no pari in them. This generates a definition ofthe economics of language emphasizing the use of economic concepts and tools in the study of relationships featuring linguistic variables.
The paper advocates the use of such concepts and tools, while also stressing two important points. First, researchers need to exercise caution when applying the principles of economic modeling to language issues — while such circumspection should be advocated in all forms of social research, it is crucial when studying language. Second, the endeavor must necessarily be an interdisciplinary one, precisely because ofthe exceedingly complex nature of language, both äs a strictly linguistic and äs a social phenomenon.
