sociolinguistic aspects of language change...if language/grammar consists of interlocking elements,...
TRANSCRIPT
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Sociolinguistic aspects
of language change
Principles of language change
Holger Diessel University of Jena
http://www.holger-diessel.de/
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The language system
SINGULAR
1. person
2. person
3. person
ich
du
er/sie/es
PLURAL
1. person
2. person
3. person
wir
ihr
sie
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Swahili (Niger-Congo)
u-ta-ni-penda You will like me
a-ta-ni-penda He will like me
a-ta-ku-penda He will like you
a-ta-m-penda He will like him
a-ta-ku-penda I will like you
a-ta-m-penda I will like him
u-ta-m-penda You will like him
SUBJ – FUT – OBJ – VERB
The language system
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Demonstratives Interrogatives
Person that (one) who
Thing that (one) what
Place there where
Direction:to thither whither
Direction:from thence whence
Time then when
Manner thus (that way) how
The language system
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Lezgian Demonstratives Interrogatives
Person/Thing im him
Place inag hinag
Place:at ina hina
Place:on inal hinal
Place:in inra hinra
Direction:to iniz hiniz
Direction:from inaj hinaj
Manner ik’ hik’(a)
Amount iq’wan hiq’wan
Quality ixfltin hixfltin
The language system
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English vowels
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Bilabial Labio-
dental
Inter-
dental
Alveol. Alveol.-
palatal
Velar
Stop p b t d k g
Affricate tS dZ
Fricative f v T D s z S Z h
Nasal m n Î
Lateral l/r
Glide w y
English consonants
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Saussurean paradox
If language/grammar consists of interlocking elements,
how can language/grammar change?
How can language continue to be used effectively for
communication when it is in the middle of a change, i.e.
when the system is disrupted?
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Labov’s hypothesis
Language variation is the vehicle of language
(i.e. system) change.
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• Social variation
• Contextual variation
• Regional variation
• Ethnic variation
Language variation
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Language variation
Aren’t you going home?
[ar@nt yU gOIÎ hOm] careful
[arntS@ gOIn hOm] casual
Structuralist linguistics:
Linguists describe the ‘linguistic norm’ and
ignore variation (‘free variation’).
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Labov – Martha’s Vineyard
Light [aI] vs [@I]
House [aU] vs [@U]
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Labov – Martha’s Vineyard
Age Degree of centralization [ai]
Degree of centralization [au]
75+
61-75
46-60
31-45
14-30
0.25
0.35
0.62
0.81
0.37
0.23
0.37
0.44
0.88
0.46
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Labov – Martha’s Vineyard
Generational change or age-grading?
1933 [@I] 0.86%
[@U] 0.06%
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Labov – Martha’s Vineyard
Age Degree of centralization [ai]
Degree of centralization [au]
Occupation
Fisherman
Farmers
1.00
0.32
0.79
0.22
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Labov – Martha’s Vineyard
Age Degree of centralization [ai]
Degree of centralization [au]
Occupation
Fisherman
Farmers
Environment
Towns
Rural areas
1.00
0.32
0.35
0.61
0.79
0.22
0.33
0.66
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Labov – Martha’s Vineyard
Degree of centralization [ai]
Degree of centralization [au]
Positive (40 subjects)
Neutral (19 subjects)
Negative (6 subjects)
0.63
0.32
0.09
0.62
0.42
0.08
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• Linguistic variables often display social stratification.
• The quantitative approach to variation can reveal systematic
differences.
• A change in progress is reflected in linguistic variation.
• Linguistic variation is the vehicle of language change.
Labov – Martha’s Vineyard
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Labov – Rhoticity in NYC
Car
Dark
More
Shirt
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Labov – Rhoticity in NYC
Casual Speech
1 26 6 6
18
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
lower class lower working
class
middle
working class
upper working
class
lower middle
class
upper middle
class
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Labov – Rhoticity in NYC
Reading
510 11
17 20
30
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
lower class lower working
class
middle
working class
upper working
class
lower middle
class
upper middle
class
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Labov – Rhoticity in NYC
Word list
1016
24 25
60
43
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
lower class lower working
class
middle
working class
upper working
class
lower middle
class
upper middle
class
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Hypercorrection (Labov):
The socially lower class (notably the ‘lower middle class)
surpasses the socially highest class in formal situations.
Labov – Rhoticity in NYC
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[gOIÎ] going
[gOIn] goin’
Trudgill – ‘ing‘ in Norwich
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Trudgill – ‘ing‘ in Norwich
Word list Reading Formal
speech
Casual
speech
Middle class
Lower middle class
Upper working class
Middle working class
Lower working class
0
0
5
23
29
0
10
15
44
66
3
15
74
88
98
28
42
87
95
100
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Trudgill – ‘ing‘ in Norwich
Overt prestige vs. Covert prestige
Women thought they were using the
standard form more often than they did,
and men thought they were using the non-
standard form more often than they did.
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Aitchison – Teenage age talk in Reading
(1) I knows how to handle teddy boys.
(2) You knows my sister, the one who’s small.
(3) They calls me all the name under the sun.
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Casual speech Formal
Boys
Girls
60%
49%
31%
13%
Total 50% 22%
Noddy 81%
Kevin 14%
Aitchison – Teenage age talk in Reading
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Conclusion
Variation is the vehicle of language change.
Variation explains how a new form may spread through the
speech community (progapagtion or implementation) but it
does not explain how new forms emerge (actuation).
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Actuation
Factors triggering language change:
• Communicative need for new forms
• Expressivity
• Ease of pronunciation
• Drive for symmetry
• Analogy
• Habituation and routinization