The assumptions made by readers of Language in
Society and other English-language academic publications,
when they begin to read, are so widely shared that they
are seldom reflected on or made explicit. These assumptions
have to do with European traditions of scholarship; and
over time, they have made their way around the world because
of the unquestioned belief in their universal applicability.
But other approaches do exist, although most are never
featured in publications in Western languages. I commented
on this situation long ago, but it persists to this day:
“The work done by Japanese sociolinguists is virtually
unknown to non-Japanese readers. The reason is probably
that this work has developed independently of the Western
disciplines. The fact that Japanese researchers have worked
independently of the Western tradition has inevitably resulted
in unique assumptions, orientations or approaches when
viewed from an international perspective”.