Sociolinguistic Variation: Theories, Methods, and Applications

✍ Scribed by Robert Bayley, Ceil Lucas

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 423
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Why does human language vary from one person, or one group, to another? In what ways does it vary? How do linguists go about studying variation in, say, the sound system or the sentence structure of a particular language? Why is the study of language variation important outside the academic world, in say education, the law, employment or housing? This book provides an overview of these questions, bringing together a team of experts to survey key areas within the study of language variation and language change. Covering both the range of methods used to research variation in language, and the applications of such research to a variety of social contexts, it is essential reading for advanced students and researchers in sociolinguistics, communication, linguistic anthropology and applied linguistics.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Figures......Page 11
Tables......Page 12
Acknowledgments......Page 14
Editors and contributors......Page 15
Introduction......Page 19
PART 1 Theories......Page 21
Introduction......Page 23
Explaining the patterns: what phonological theory does for the
study of variation......Page 24
Final sibilant deletion in Brazilian Portuguese......Page 25
Following segment......Page 26
Place of following consonant......Page 27
Constructing the theory: what variation
does for phonological theory......Page 28
Quantitative testing of phonological theory......Page 32
Towards an adequate theory of phonology......Page 36
Variation in Optimality Theory......Page 39
Conclusion......Page 40
Introduction......Page 42
Incorporating variation in syntactic theory......Page 43
Questions and the Q feature......Page 45
Negation and the NegFoc feature......Page 52
Syntactic variation and language development......Page 56
Conclusion......Page 62
Level I......Page 63
Level II......Page 71
Level III......Page 79
Variationist linguistic analysis......Page 88
Historical precedents......Page 90
The modern period......Page 91
(Socio)linguistic variables and variable rules......Page 93
Variationist analysis in action......Page 95
African American Vernacular English and
variationist scholarship......Page 97
Variable methodologies......Page 98
Variationists and outreach......Page 99
Variationist interactions with formal fields......Page 101
An exposition of variationist means and ways and the future
of variationist analysis......Page 105
Introduction: style in sociolinguistics......Page 108
A fraught life......Page 110
Caveats......Page 111
On the data of linguistics......Page 113
On context......Page 114
Bakhtin and the field of sociolinguistics......Page 115
Bakhtin’s theory......Page 116
Centripetal and centrifugal forces......Page 117
Heteroglossia and multiple voicing......Page 118
Addressivity and response......Page 123
Conclusion: style and a dialogical theory of language......Page 125
Introduction......Page 128
Preliminaries......Page 129
Philology......Page 132
Sociolinguistics......Page 136
Quantitative analysis and corpus formation......Page 138
Social history......Page 144
Applications......Page 148
Conclusions......Page 149
Introduction......Page 151
Misunderstandings of variationist research......Page 152
Language transfer......Page 154
Accurate descriptions of the target language......Page 155
Understanding the nature of SLA processes......Page 157
Acquiring sociolinguistic competence......Page 160
Conclusion......Page 162
Signs have parts......Page 163
Early perspectives on sign language variation......Page 164
Variation in the DASL......Page 165
After the DASL......Page 167
Variation in signed and spoken languages......Page 168
Variation in ASL reconsidered......Page 170
The reconsideration continues......Page 173
Is modality a factor?......Page 176
PART 2 Methods......Page 181
Designing the field study......Page 183
Selecting the population for study......Page 184
Random sampling......Page 186
Stratifying the sample......Page 187
The sociolinguistic interview......Page 189
Modifications to the sociolinguistic interview......Page 192
Rapid and anonymous observations......Page 193
Large-scale surveys......Page 194
Presenting oneself and one’s project......Page 195
Making initial contacts......Page 196
The “friend of a friend” method......Page 197
Beyond the “friend of a friend”......Page 198
The researcher’s role in the sociolinguistic interview......Page 199
The researcher’s role in the community......Page 200
Audio-recordings......Page 201
Video-recordings......Page 202
Record-keeping......Page 203
Preserving confidentiality......Page 204
Beyond the basics: community involvement......Page 205
Modeling language variation......Page 208
The linguistic variable......Page 209
Principle of accountability......Page 210
Distributional analysis......Page 212
External factors......Page 214
Grammatical person......Page 215
Content of the quote......Page 216
Tense......Page 217
Multivariate analysis......Page 220
Relative strength......Page 221
Comparison......Page 223
Clara at different ages......Page 224
The individual and the group......Page 225
Ethnicities......Page 226
Future research......Page 228
Appendix B: coding schema......Page 230
Appendix E: recode for content of the quote and
tense/temporal reference......Page 232
What is sociophonetics?......Page 233
History of sociophonetics......Page 234
Variation and shifting in vowel quality......Page 236
Other vowel characteristics......Page 239
Consonantal variation......Page 240
Intonation, tone, and tone-accent......Page 242
Rhythm......Page 244
Voice quality......Page 245
Perception......Page 247
Cognitive processing of language......Page 248
Prospects......Page 250
PART 3 Applications......Page 253
Introduction......Page 255
Sociolinguistics and education: early connections......Page 257
Sociolinguistic activism in educational domains......Page 259
Sociolinguistics and education: current trends
and innovations......Page 260
The need for sociolinguistic education......Page 263
Curriculum content......Page 264
Sociolinguistic obligation......Page 266
Sociolinguistics in the school curriculum......Page 267
Whose need?......Page 269
Moving on......Page 270
Introduction......Page 272
Lesson #1 – The majority of people in the United States do not believe
that all languages are equal......Page 273
Lesson #3 – Many people believe that Ebonics is only slang......Page 274
Lesson #5 – Many people believe that Ebonics speakers have
limited intelligence......Page 275
Lesson #6 – Many people believe that listeners cannot understand Ebonics......Page 277
Lesson #7 – The evidence that Ebonics is systematic and rule-governed is often rejected or ignored......Page 279
Lesson #8 – Many people believe that it is acceptable to ridicule and to make jokes about Ebonics and other non-standard varieties of English......Page 280
Lesson #9 – Many people think that the differences between Ebonics and Standard English are minimal and can be learned without formal instruction......Page 282
Lesson #10 – Many people believe that federal and state funds should not be used to pay for Standard English instruction for Ebonics speakers......Page 283
Lesson #11 – Many people ignore and even ridicule language experts when they present the facts about Ebonics......Page 284
Lesson #12 – The intricate relationships between language and power in the United States are hidden from most people......Page 286
Lesson #13 – A relatively small but persistent chorus of voices has resisted the subordination of Ebonics for more than…......Page 288
The need for a new strategy......Page 291
Introduction......Page 294
Why should variationists care about classrooms?......Page 295
Contrastive Analysis......Page 296
US examples, featuring African American writers and singers......Page 302
Caribbean examples, with alternation between creole
and Standard English......Page 310
Conclusion......Page 314
Introduction......Page 315
Goals and structure of the chapter......Page 317
Science and the social sciences......Page 318
Interpreting research observations......Page 320
Origin of proof procedures and practices......Page 321
Modifying proof procedures and practices......Page 322
Overview of the research project......Page 323
General methodology......Page 324
External social-political factors......Page 325
The politics of exclusion......Page 327
Paradigms and prejudice......Page 328
The early price of paradigm shift......Page 330
The fruits of change......Page 331
Outlook......Page 333
Conclusion......Page 334
Introduction......Page 336
The law as sociolinguistic data......Page 339
Variation as linguistic evidence......Page 340
Voice identification......Page 341
Ascertaining historical speech community membership: the case
of the Bear Island land claim......Page 346
Plagiarism and copyright violations......Page 347
Anonymous, pseudonymous, and falsely attributed messages......Page 349
Trademarks......Page 353
Conclusion......Page 355
Introduction......Page 356
Linguistic profiling: operational definitions......Page 358
Previous research: linguistic profiling foci......Page 360
Critical limitations of previous lingusitic profiling research......Page 361
Foundational studies of linguistic attitudes......Page 363
Implications for legal testing of voice discrimination in pursuit of fair housing and fair lending......Page 364
Conclusion: ear-witness testimony and “auditory line-ups”......Page 365
Afterword: Walt Wolfram and the study of sociolinguistic variation......Page 367
References......Page 372
Index......Page 411

✦ Subjects

Языки и языкознание;Лингвистика;Социолингвистика;Языковое варьирование и языковые изменения;