Language Change and Sociolinguistics

Transcription

1 Language Change and Sociolinguistics

2 Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Language Variation The study of language variation in social context, and the study of specific language communities in detail, are central to the linguistic enterprise. In this series we look for impressive first-hand fieldwork from speech communities of various kinds, analysed within a range of frameworks, quantitative and qualitative. All work reported in the series will raise important arguments about methodologies for researching language in social context, with analysis that challenges or extends current theory building. Titles include: JonathanMarshall LANGUAGE CHANGE AND SOCIOLINGUISTICS Rethinking Social Networks Daniel Scherier ISOLATION AND LANGUAGE CHANGE Contemporary and Sociohistorical Evidence from Tristan da Cunha English

3 Language Change and Sociolinguistics Rethinking Social Networks Jonathan Marshall The University of Edinburgh

4 Jonathan Marshall 2004 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act First published 2004 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Marshall, Jonathan, 1963 Language change and sociolinguistics : rethinking social networks / Jonathan Marshall p. cm. (Palgrave studies in language variation) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN (cloth) 1. Linguistic change Social aspects. 2. Sociolinguistics. I. Title. II. Series. P40.5.L54M dc

5 To my daughter, Megan

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7 Contents Preface List of Figures List of Tables Abbreviations viii ix xi xiii 1. Historical and Demographic Details 1 2. Theoretical Background and Previous Research The Research Design Correlations Between Age and the Individual Phonological Variables Testing for Correlations Across the Entire Database Statistical Testing Discussion Implications for Future Research 227 Appendices 235 Bibliography 236 Index 244 vii

8 Preface This book presents a sociolinguistic study based on modern recorded dialect data. The purpose of the study was to develop a theoretical sociolinguistic framework which can aid our understanding of the diffusion of language change within a community. The study was conducted in order to establish what social factors might be involved in the process of language change, though the particular emphasis was on resistance to change. Some speakers of the variety studied, known in Scotland as the Doric, seem to have resisted change quite strongly, and this has drawn attention to the area. Sociolinguistic theory attempts, among other things, to explain the factors and motivations involved in the process of language change, and the social network framework has in the past been influential in our understanding of the process of vernacular maintenance. This study replicates the methodology used in most network studies, but also incorporates other sociological, including various attitudinal, factors. This was done by building up sociological and linguistic indices for each individual, and testing for correlations between the various indices. The results will indicate a cautious view of the ability of the supposed norm-enforcement effect of social networks to adequately account for vernacular maintenance. A more complex, inclusive model is offered, incorporating attitudinal factors, such as orientation to the local community. Social factors have been considered to operate simultaneously but variably on the individual. As such, the methodology developed here has the ability to consider the effects of the various sociological variables simultaneously. viii

9 List of Figures Map 1 Location of the sampling area 8 Map 2 Gravitational pull on Huntly Højrup s (1983) concept of Life Modes Pedersen s 1994 concept of life mode as mental orientation Omdal s concept of the resolution of Cognitive Dissonance Sociogram for AM Dialect scores not predicted by social network strength Means for the denti-labial fricative Individual scores for the denti-labial fricative Means for the mid-high front vowel Individual scores for the mid-high front vowel Use of the alveolar variant of /t/ Use of the glottal variant of /t/ Use of the glottal variant of /t/ in Glasgow Use of [ʔ] across age and sex Means for the velar fricative Individual scores for the velar fricative Means for consonant-cluster reduction Individual scores for consonant-cluster reduction Means for /v/ deletion Individual scores for /v/ deletion Means for pre-consonantal /r/ Combined means for pre-consonantal /r/ Individual scores for pre-consonantal /r/ Means for pre- and intervocalic /r/ Individual scores for pre- and intervocalic /r/ Means for lowered Middle English /υ/ Individual scores for lowered Middle English /υ/ Means for the low central vowel Individual scores for the low central vowel Means for preterite endings Individual scores for preterite endings AGE across individual PHOVAR scores AGE across mean PHOVAR scores 151 ix

10 x List of Figures 33. AGE across SSSCOR AGE across mean SSSCOR results AGE across LEXREC AGE across mean LEXREC scores AGE across MENURB AGE across mean MENURB scores AGE across SOCNET AGE across SOCLAS AGE across ATTDIA AGE across NATPRI MENURB across PHOVAR MENURB across SSSCOR MENURB across LEXREC MENURB across SOCNET MENURB across SOCLAS MENURB across ATTDIA MENURB across NATPRI SOCNET across PHOVAR SOCNET across SOCLAS SOCLAS across PHOVAR SOCLAS across ATTDIA ATTDIA across SSSCOR ATTDIA across MENURB ATTDIA across NATPRI PHOVAR and SSSCOR means PHOVAR across LEXREC Correlation of /t/ and Social Class Index The variable (t) across MENURB in the Huntly data The two Kennethmont outliers: 8 12 male group J. and L. Milroy s concept of language change Possible links: social networks and access to vernacular norms Suggestions for updating the social network framework Suggested framework for composite dialect maintenance index 233

11 List of Tables 1. Social network criteria (Stokowski 1994: 61) Age-grading post-vocalic /r/ (from Romaine 1989: 204) Data from Trudgill & Chamber s model (1998: 183) List of dialect lexical items chosen for the study SOCNET responses for AM Social class questionnaire PHOVAR: expected results from the picture list Correlations for all the variables Correlations with AGE Mean age across mean SOCNET Mean age across mean SOCLAS Mean age across mean ATTDIA Mean age across mean NATPRI Correlations with MENURB AGE and MENURB across the linguistic variables Correlations with SOCNET Correlations with SOCLAS Correlations with ATTDIA Correlations with NATPRI Correlations with PHOVAR Correlations with SSSCOR AGE: PHOVAR AGE: SSSCOR AGE: LEXREC SEX: PHOVAR SEX: SSSCOR SEX: LEXREC MENURB and SOCNET across the linguistic variables Regression output for SOCLAS, ATTDIA and NATPRI Correlations: Female SOCNET across dependent variables Correlations: Male SOCNET across dependent variables [ʔ] in Milton Keynes interviews (Kerswill and Williams 1994) [ʔ] in Milton Keynes elicitation (Kerswill and Williams 1994) Differing use of (t) across sex in Huntly 198 xi

12 xii List of Tables 35. /t/ glottalling patterns with social category Regression coefficients: 9 Belfast variables by network Mean network scores for Belfast, from Labov (2001: 332) Centralisation in Martha s Vineyard (Labov 1963: 39) 220

13 Abbreviations ATTDIA Attitude to the Dialect f60, m60 females, males over 60 f2540, m2540 females, males between 25 and 40 f1417, m1417 females, males between 14 and 17 f812, m812 females, males between 8 and 12 GRC Grampian Regional Council IPA International Phonetic Alphabet LEXREC Lexical Recognition Index MENURB Mental Urbanisation Index NATPRI National Pride Index NORM Non-Mobile, Older, Rural Male PHOVAR Phonetic Variable Index SEML South-East Midlands SOCLAS Social Class Index SOCNET Social Network Index SOED Scottish Office Education Department SSSCOR Spontaneous Speech Index SSE Scottish Standard English xiii