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| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Sociolinguistic Patterns William Labov, 1973-09 This classic volume, by a well-known linguist, constitutes a systematic introduction to sociolinguistics, unmatched in the clarity and forcefulness of its approach, and to the study of language in its social setting. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Principles of Linguistic Change William Labov, 1994 |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Sociolinguistics and Social Theory Nikolas Coupland, Srikant Sarangi, Christopher N. Candlin, 2014-06-11 The empirical and descriptive strengths of sociolinguistics, developed over more than 40 years of research, have not been matched by an active engagement with theory. Yet, over this time, social theorising has taken important new turns, linked in many ways to linguistic and discursive concerns. Sociolinguistics and Social Theory is the first book to explore the interface between sociolinguistic analysis and modern social theory. The book sets out to reunite sociolinguistics with the concepts and perspectives of several of the most influential modern theorists of society and social action, including Bakhtin, Foucault, Habermas, Sacks, Goffman, Bourdieu and Giddens. In eleven newly commissioned chapters, leading sociolinguists reappraise the theoretical framing of their research, reaching out beyond conventional limits. The authors propose significant new orientations to key sociolinguistic themes, including- - social motivations for language variation and change - language, power and authority - language and ageing - language, race and class - language planning In substantial introductory and concluding chapters, the editors and invited discussants reassess the boundaries of sociolinguistic theory and the priorities of sociolinguistic methods. Sociolinguistics and Social Theory encourages students and researchers of sociolinguistics to be more reflexively aware and critical of the social bases of their analyses and invites a reasessment of the place sociolinguistics occupies in the social sciences generally. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Sociolinguistic Metatheory E. Figueroa, 2014-06-28 Linguistics is a discipline with ever expanding boundaries and interests. Despite the narrow definition of linguistics which dominates academia, sub-fields continue to flourish and ways of doing linguistics continue to expand. As ways to do linguistics increase, and as approaches to linguistics accumulate over time, it becomes increasingly necessary for students of linguistics to have ways of understanding and comparing developments in linguistics.Sociolinguistic Metatheory is a book which explains foundational developments in linguistics by taking the past three decades of developments in sociolinguistics and relating them to contemporaneous developments in received linguistics. Sociolinguistic Metatheory takes the reader through the basic philosophical questions which drive linguistic research. It looks in detail at three models of sociolinguistics - Dell Hymes and the Ethnography of Communication, William Labov and Sociolinguistic Realism, and John Gumperz and Interactional Sociolinguistics - and focuses on such questions as: Where is language located? How is an utterance-based approach to linguistics different from a sentence-based approach? How do metatheoretical paradigm assumptions such as realism or relativism affect the development of linguistic theory? What interesting developments in linguistic theory and analysis have sociolinguistics provided? |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: American Sociolinguistics Stephen O. Murray, 1998-10-15 This is a revised version of Theory Groups and the Study of Language in North America (1994), the post-World-War-II history of the emergence of sociolinguistics in North America that was described in Language in Society as “a heady combination of detailed scholarship, mordant wit, and sustained narrative designed to persuade even the skeptical reader that these myriad, often simultaneously emergent, ways of thinking about language are indeed interrelated. . . . This is an outspoken, engaging, rollicking, occasionally aggravating adventure in the history of these sciences as related to their practice. . . not to be missed by anyone who cares about the intellectual underpinnings of the study of language in society,” in Language as providing “the closest approximation” to how sociolinguists came together and developed the field, and in Lingua as providing “the most comprehensive overviews of the various and varied approaches to [American] linguistic research.” American Sociolinguistics examines both theory groups (such as the ethnography of speaking and ethnoscience), and sociolinguistic scholars (such as William Labov, Einar Haugen, and Erving Goffman) whose widely-known and often-emulated work was not pursued by organized groups. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Default Semantics Katarzyna Jaszczolt, 2005 In this pioneering book Kasia Jaszczolt lays down the foundations of an original theory of meaning in discourse, reveals the cognitive foundations of discourse interpretation, and puts forward a new basis for the analysis of discourse processing. She provides a step-by-step introduction to thetheory and its application, and explains new terms and formalisms as required. Dr Jaszczolt unites the precision of truth-conditional, dynamic approaches with insights from neo-Gricean pragmatics into the role of speaker's intentions in communication. She shows that the compositionality of meaningmay be understood as merger representations combining information from various sources including word meaning and sentence structure, various kinds of default interpretations, and conscious pragmatic inference. Among the applications the author discusses are constructions that pose problems in semantic analysis such as referring expressions, propositional attitude constructions, presupposition, modality, numerals, and sentential connectives. She proposes solutions to cutting edge problems in thesemantics/pragmatics interface - for example, how many levels of meaning should be distinguished; the status of underspecification; how much contextual information should be placed in the representation of the speaker's meaning; whether there are default interpretations; the stage of utteranceinterpretation at which pragmatic inference begins; and whether compositionality is a necessary feature of the theory of meaning and if so how it is to be defined.The book is for students and researchers in semantics, pragmatics, computational linguistics, and philosophy of language at advanced undergraduate level and above. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Sociolinguistics Florian Coulmas, 2013-08-15 Why do we speak the way we do? What are the social factors that influence our choices of expression? This best-selling introduction to the study of language and society encourages students to think about these fundamental questions, asking how and why we select from the vast range of different words, accents, varieties and languages available to us. In this new and updated edition, students are taken step-by-step through the analysis of linguistic expressions, speech varieties and languages in complex settings. Enriched with recent findings from different languages and speech communities around the world, this comprehensive textbook equips students with knowledge of the main concepts and gives them a coherent view of the complex interaction of language and society. • 'Questions for Discussion' help students understand how speakers' choices are conditioned by the society in which they live • New to this edition is a rich repertoire of online resources and further reading, enabling students to investigate more deeply and advance their learning • Includes a topical new chapter on research ethics, guiding students on the ethical questions involved in sociolinguistic research. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: The Cambridge Handbook of Sociolinguistics Rajend Mesthrie, 2011-10-06 The most comprehensive overview available, this Handbook is an essential guide to sociolinguistics today. Reflecting the breadth of research in the field, it surveys a range of topics and approaches in the study of language variation and use in society. As well as linguistic perspectives, the handbook includes insights from anthropology, social psychology, the study of discourse and power, conversation analysis, theories of style and styling, language contact and applied sociolinguistics. Language practices seem to have reached new levels since the communications revolution of the late twentieth century. At the same time face-to-face communication is still the main force of language identity, even if social and peer networks of the traditional face-to-face nature are facing stiff competition of the Facebook-to-Facebook sort. The most authoritative guide to the state of the field, this handbook shows that sociolinguistics provides us with the best tools for understanding our unfolding evolution as social beings. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: The Atlas of North American English William Labov, Sharon Ash, Charles Boberg, 2006 The Atlas of North American English provides an overall view of the pronunciation and vowel systems of the dialects of the U.S. and Canada. It is based on a telephone survey of local speakers representing all of the urbanized areas of North America. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Variationist Sociolinguistics Sali A. Tagliamonte, 2011-10-03 Variationist Sociolinguistics: Change, Observation, Interpretation presents a comprehensive, intermediate level examination of Language Variation and Change, the branch of sociolinguistics concerned with linguistic variation in spoken and written language. Represents the most up-to-date coverage of the history, developments, and methodologies of variationist sociolinguistics Addresses all aspects of linguistic variation, including areas not usually covered in introductory texts, e.g. the phonological, morpho-syntactic, discourse/pragmatic Outlines comparative sociolinguistic approach, data collection, methodological issues; and addresses state-of-the-art contemporary quantitative methods and statistical practice Features cutting-edge research at an appropriate level to facilitate student learning Engages students throughout with a variety of pedagogical features, including Mini Quizzes to test comprehension, extensive Exercises at the end of each chapter, the opportunity to do hands-on quantitative analysis of a never-before published data set, and Notes and Tips that offer insight into conducting sociolinguistic research. Extra materials and answers to the exercises are available at www.wiley.com/go/tagliamonte |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Sociolinguistic Fieldwork Natalie Schilling, 2013-04-11 Looking for an easy-to-use, practical guide to conducting fieldwork in sociolinguistics? This invaluable textbook will give you the skills and knowledge required for carrying out research projects in 'the field', including: • How to select and enter a community • How to design a research sample • What recording equipment to choose and how to operate it • How to collect, store and manage data • How to interact effectively with participants and communities • What ethical issues you should be aware of. Carefully designed to be of maximum practical use to students and researchers in sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology and related fields, the book is packed with useful features, including: • Helpful checklists for recording techniques and equipment specifications • Practical examples taken from classic sociolinguistic studies • Vivid passages in which students recount their own experiences of doing fieldwork in many different parts of the world |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Sociolinguistic Variation Robert Bayley, Ceil Lucas, 2007 Why does human language vary from one person, or one group, to another? How do linguists go about studying this variation? This book provides an overview of these questions and more, bringing together a team of experts to survey key areas within the study of language variation and language change. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Sociolinguistic Theory J. K. Chambers, 1995 This work presents a critical synthesis of sociolinguistics, centring on the study of language variation and change. It opens with a discussion of the linguistic variable and its historical methodology and theoretical significance |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Language Change and Variation Ralph W. Fasold, Deborah Schiffrin, 1989-01-01 The study of language variation in social context continues to hold the attention of a large number of linguists. This research is promoted by the annual colloquia on New Ways of Analyzing Variation in English' (NWAVE). This volume is a selection of revised papers from the NWAVE XI, held at Georgetown University. It deals with a number of items, some of which have often been discussed, others that have been less emphasized. The first group of articles in the volume center on a frequent theme: speech communities as the essential setting for understanding variation in language. Earlier work in linguistic variation dealt for the most part with phonological variation and change. Syntactic and morphological change and variation in syntax are also discussed. A selection on the role of variation in understanding first language acquisition comprises three papers. Articles in the last section of the volume concern theoretical controversy and methodological advances. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Sociolinguistics Lesley Milroy, Matthew Gordon, 2008-04-15 Sociolinguistics: Method and Interpretation presents a thorough and practical description of current sociolinguistic methodology while recognizing that methodological decisions can never be separated from questions of theory. Presents a thorough and practical description of current sociolinguistic methodology. Considers a range of issues including speaker selection, data collection, social considerations, phonological and syntactical variation, style-shifting and code-switching. Recognizes that methodological decisions can never be separated from questions of theory. Stresses the need for the entire research process from the initial design of the project to the interpretation of results to be grounded in theoretically defensible positions. Shows how the research paradigm established by a few influential pioneers has been fruitfully expanded by exciting new trends. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Introducing Sociolinguistics Miriam Meyerhoff, 2015-05-11 Equipping students with the necessary tools for an excellent command of the subject, this new edition explores a range of topics, including language attitudes, gender, and social dialects. Exercises help readers to critically engage with the text. Now supported by The Routledge Sociolinguistics Reader, the textbook also shares a common website with interactive exercises, web- and video links to examples, an online glossary and interview with the author. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropology R. Jon McGee, Richard L. Warms, 2013-08-28 Social and cultural anthropology and archaeology are rich subjects with deep connections in the social and physical sciences. Over the past 150 years, the subject matter and different theoretical perspectives have expanded so greatly that no single individual can command all of it. Consequently, both advanced students and professionals may be confronted with theoretical positions and names of theorists with whom they are only partially familiar, if they have heard of them at all. Students, in particular, are likely to turn to the web to find quick background information on theorists and theories. However, most web-based information is inaccurate and/or lacks depth. Students and professionals need a source to provide a quick overview of a particular theory and theorist with just the basics—the who, what, where, how, and why. In response, SAGE Reference is publishing the two-volume Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropology: An Encyclopedia. Features & Benefits: Two volumes containing approximately 335 signed entries provide users with the most authoritative and thorough reference resource available on anthropology theory, both in terms of breadth and depth of coverage. To ease navigation between and among related entries, a Reader′s Guide groups entries thematically and each entry is followed by Cross-References. In the electronic version, the Reader′s Guide combines with the Cross-References and a detailed Index to provide robust search-and-browse capabilities. An appendix with a Chronology of Anthropology Theory allows students to easily chart directions and trends in thought and theory from early times to the present. Suggestions for Further Reading at the end of each entry and a Master Bibliography at the end guide readers to sources for more detailed research and discussion. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: The Handbook of Linguistics Mark Aronoff, Janie Rees-Miller, 2017-04-24 The first edition of this Handbook is built on surveys by well-known figures from around the world and around the intellectual world, reflecting several different theoretical predilections, balancing coverage of enduring questions and important recent work. Those strengths are now enhanced by adding new chapters and thoroughly revising almost all other chapters, partly to reflect ways in which the field has changed in the intervening twenty years, in some places radically. The result is a magnificent volume that can be used for many purposes. David W. Lightfoot, Georgetown University The Handbook of Linguistics, Second Edition is a stupendous achievement. Aronoff and Rees-Miller have provided overviews of 29 subfields of linguistics, each written by one of the leading researchers in that subfield and each impressively crafted in both style and content. I know of no finer resource for anyone who would wish to be better informed on recent developments in linguistics. Frederick J. Newmeyer, University of Washington, University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University Linguists, their students, colleagues, family, and friends: anyone interested in the latest findings from a wide array of linguistic subfields will welcome this second updated and expanded edition of The Handbook of Linguistics. Leading scholars provide highly accessible yet substantive introductions to their fields: it's an even more valuable resource than its predecessor. Sally McConnell-Ginet, Cornell University No handbook or text offers a more comprehensive, contemporary overview of the field of linguistics in the twenty-first century. New and thoroughly updated chapters by prominent scholars on each topic and subfield make this a unique, landmark publication.Walt Wolfram, North Carolina State University This second edition of The Handbook of Linguistics provides an updated and timely overview of the field of linguistics. The editor's broad definition of the field ensures that the book may be read by those seeking a comprehensive introduction to the subject, but with little or no prior knowledge of the area. Building on the popular first edition, The Handbook of Linguistics, Second Edition features new and revised content reflecting advances within the discipline. New chapters expand the already broad coverage of the Handbook to address and take account of key changes within the field in the intervening years. It explores: psycholinguistics, linguistic anthropology and ethnolinguistics, sociolinguistic theory, language variation and second language pedagogy. With contributions from a global team of leading linguists, this comprehensive and accessible volume is the ideal resource for those engaged in study and work within the dynamic field of linguistics. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Creole Studies – Phylogenetic Approaches Peter Bakker, Finn Borchsenius, Carsten Levisen, Eeva M. Sippola, 2017-05-31 This book launches a new approach to creole studies founded on phylogenetic network analysis. Phylogenetic approaches offer new visualisation techniques and insights into the relationships between creoles and non-creoles, creoles and other contact varieties, and between creoles and lexifier languages. With evidence from creole languages in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Pacific, the book provides new perspectives on creole typology, cross-creole comparisons, and creole semantics. The book offers an introduction for newcomers to the fields of creole studies and phylogenetic analysis. Using these methods to analyse a variety of linguistic features, both structural and semantic, the book then turns to explore old and new questions and problems in creole studies. Original case studies explore the differences and similarities between creoles, and propose solutions to the problems of how to classify creoles and how they formed and developed. The book provides a fascinating glimpse into the unity and heterogeneity of creoles and the areal influences on their development. It also provides metalinguistic discussions of the “creole” concept from different perspectives. Finally, the book reflects critically on the findings and methods, and sets new agendas for future studies. Creole Studies has been written for a broad readership of scholars and students in the fields of contact linguistics, biolinguistics, sociolinguistics, language typology, and semantics. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: The Practice of Language M. Gustafsson, L. Hertzberg, 2013-04-17 How is linguistic theory related to linguistic practice? What do theoretical notions and models tell us about real-life language use? Are there any limits to what such notions and models can reasonably be taken to accomplish? These questions are fundamental to any serious investigation into the phenomena of human communication. The essays in this book show that philosophers and linguists of quite different brands have tended to give undue priority to their own favourite theoretical framework, and have presupposed that the descriptive scheme invoked by that framework constitutes a pattern to which any linguistic practice somehow has to conform. What unites the contributors to this volume is a critical attitude towards such essentialist aspirations. By investigating several concrete examples of this tendency - examples collected from such seemingly disparate areas as structuralism, contemporary analytic philosophy and feminist epistemology - the authors collectively manage to cast doubt on the very attempt to fit the whole of linguistic practice into a general theoretical mould. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Awareness and Control in Sociolinguistic Research Anna Babel, 2016-07-21 This book investigates our awareness and control of sociolinguistic features as they are embedded in social and grammatical systems. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Sociolinguistic Variation Carmen Fought, 2004-08-05 Sociolinguistic Variation brings together a group of leading scholars in the field of language variation and change to address the directions that sociolinguistic research is taking in the new millennium. Among the main themes of the volume are the construction of identity, the nature of place as distinct from community, and the role of attitudes in language variation. These themes are explored through a variety of types of data, from traditional sources such as narratives, to relatively new sources, such as postings on the Internet or television documentaries. Combining the voices of established scholars in the field with the perspectives of promising younger scholars this volume provides crucial guidance for anyone interested in doing research on sociolinguistic variation. Contributors include Guy Bailey, Penelope Eckert, Barbara Johnstone, William Labov, Ronald Macaulay, Lesley Milroy, Dennis Preston, John Rickford, Gillian Sankoff, Natalie Schilling-Estes, Jan Tillery, and Walt Wolfram. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Variation, Change, and Phonological Theory Frans L. Hinskens, Roeland van Hout, W. Leo Wetzels, 1997-12-11 There is a growing awareness that a fruitful cooperation between the (diachronic and synchronic) study of language variation and change and work in phonological theory is both possible and desirable. The study of language variation and change would benefit from this kind of cooperation on the conceptual and theoretical levels. Phonological theory may well profit from a greater use of what is commonly called ‘external evidence’. This volume contains contributions by outstanding representatives from the more data-oriented fields and phonological theory. They discuss possibilities and problems for a further integration of both areas, by considering questions such as where and to which extent the two may need each other, and whether there is a need for an interdisciplinary conceptual framework and methodology. Attention is also paid to questions regarding the cause and actuation, linguistic constraints and the internal spread of linguistic change, as well as to possible and impossible processes of language change. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Theory Groups and the Study of Language in North America Stephen O. Murray, 1994 Theory Groups in the Study of Language in North America provides a detailed social history of traditions and revolutionary challenges to traditions within North American linguistics, especially within 20th-century anthropological linguistics. After showing substantial differences between Bloomfield's and neo-Bloomfieldian theorizing, Murray shows that early transformational-generative work on syntax grew out of neo-Bloomfieldian structuralism, and was promoted by neo-Bloomfieldian gatekeepers, in particular longtime Language editor Bernard Bloch. The central case studies of the book contrast the (increasingly) revolutionary rhetoric of transformational-generative grammarians with rhetorics of continuity emitted by two linguistic anthropology groupings that began simultaneously with TGG in the late-1950s, the ethnography of communication and ethnoscience. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Social Interaction and Discourse Structures Gregory R. Guy, 1997-01-01 This is a two-volume collection of original research papers designed to reflect the breadth and depth of the impact that William Labov has had on linguistic science. Four areas of 'Labovian' linguistics are addressed: First is the study of variation and change; the papers in sections I and II of the first volume take this as their central theme, with a focus on either the social context and uses of language (I) or on the the internal linguistic dynamics of variation and change (II). The study of African American English, and other language varieties in the Americas spoken by people of African descent and influenced by their linguistic heritage, is the subject of the papers in section III of the first volume. The third theme is the study of discourse; the papers in section I of the second volume develop themes in Labovian linguistics that go back to Labov's work on narrative, descriptive, and therapeutic discourse. Fourth is the emphasis on language use, the search for discursive, interactive, and meaningful determinants of the complexity in human communication. Papers with these themes appear in section II of the second volume. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Languages in Contact Uriel Weinreich, 2011-11-23 The appearance of Uriel Weinreich's Languages in Contact: Findings and Problems (1953) marked a milestone in the study of multilingualism and language contact. Yet until now, few linguists have been aware that its main themes were first laid out in Weinreich’s Columbia University doctoral dissertation of 1951, Research Problems in Bilingualism with Special Reference to Switzerland. Based on the author's fieldwork, it contains a detailed report on language contact in Switzerland in the first half of the 20th century, especially along the French-German linguistic border and between German and Romansh in the canton of Grisons (Graubünden). The present edition reproduces Weinreich's original text in full, with only minor alterations and corrections, as well as the author's fieldwork photographs and many of his hand-drawn diagrams. A new foreword reviews Weinreich's life and legacy, as well as developments in contact linguistics and the Swiss linguistic situation over the past 60 years. With selected comments on noteworthy points and references to more recent literature, this volume will be of interest not only to those working on the languages of Switzerland, or specialists in language contact, but all scholars today whose work builds on the broad and lasting foundations laid over half a century ago by Uriel Weinreich. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Social Meaning and Linguistic Variation Lauren Hall-Lew, Emma Moore, Robert J. Podesva, 2021-08-12 The 'third wave' of variation study, spearheaded by the sociolinguist Penelope Eckert, places its focus on social meaning, or the inferences that can be drawn about speakers based on how they talk. While social meaning has always been a concern of modern sociolinguistics, its aims and assumptions have not been explicitly spelled out until now. This pioneering book provides a comprehensive overview of the central tenets of variation study, examining several components of dialects, and considering language use in a wide variety of cultural and linguistic contexts. Each chapter, written by a leader in the field, posits a unique theoretical claim about social meaning and presents new empirical data to shed light on the topic at hand. The volume makes a case for why attending to social meaning is vital to the study of variation while also providing a foundation from which variationists can productively engage with social meaning. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: The Oxford Handbook of Sociolinguistics Robert Bayley, Richard Cameron, Ceil Lucas, 2015 This major new survey of sociolinguistics identifies gaps in our existing knowledge base and provides directions for future research. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: English in the Caribbean Dagmar Deuber, 2014-04-03 This book presents an in-depth study of English as spoken in two major anglophone Caribbean territories, Jamaica and Trinidad. Based on data from the International Corpus of English, it focuses on variation at the morphological and syntactic level between the educated standard and more informal educated spoken usage. Dagmar Deuber combines quantitative analyses across several text categories with qualitative analyses of transcribed text passages that are grounded in interactional sociolinguistics and recent approaches to linguistic style and identity. The discussion is situated in the context of variation in the Caribbean and the wider context of world Englishes, and the sociolinguistic background of Jamaica and Trinidad is also explored. This volume will be of interest to students and researchers interested in the fields of sociolinguistics, world Englishes, and language contact. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Sociolinguistics: A Very Short Introduction John Edwards, 2013-07-25 In this Very Short Introduction, John Edwards offers the most up-to-date brief overview available of sociolinguistics, with side trips into the sociology of language and psycholinguistics. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Dictionary of Sociolinguistics Joan Swann, 2019-08-07 Provides a broad coverage of sociolinguistics, including macro- and micro-sociolinguistics and a range of approaches within variationist, interactional, critical and applied traditions. In explaining sociolinguistic terminology, the dictionary is able to map out the traditions and approaches that comprise sociolinguistics and will thus help readers find their way around this fascinating but complex subject. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Dialect Diversity in America William Labov, 2012-12-17 The sociolinguist William Labov has worked for decades on change in progress in American dialects and on African American Vernacular English (AAVE). In Dialect Diversity in America, Labov examines the diversity among American dialects and presents the counterintuitive finding that geographically localized dialects of North American English are increasingly diverging from one another over time. Contrary to the general expectation that mass culture would diminish regional differences, the dialects of Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Birmingham, Buffalo, Philadelphia, and New York are now more different from each other than they were a hundred years ago. Equally significant is Labov's finding that AAVE does not map with the geography and timing of changes in other dialects. The home dialect of most African American speakers has developed a grammar that is more and more different from that of the white mainstream dialects in the major cities studied and yet highly homogeneous throughout the United States. Labov describes the political forces that drive these ongoing changes, as well as the political consequences in public debate. The author also considers the recent geographical reversal of political parties in the Blue States and the Red States and the parallels between dialect differences and the results of recent presidential elections. Finally, in attempting to account for the history and geography of linguistic change among whites, Labov highlights fascinating correlations between patterns of linguistic divergence and the politics of race and slavery, going back to the antebellum United States. Complemented by an online collection of audio files that illustrate key dialectical nuances, Dialect Diversity in America offers an unparalleled sociolinguistic study from a preeminent scholar in the field. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Sociolinguistics Florian Coulmas, 2013-08-15 This new and updated textbook gives students a coherent view of the complex interaction of language and society. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Do You Speak American? Robert Macneil, William Cran, 2007-12-18 Is American English in decline? Are regional dialects dying out? Is there a difference between men and women in how they adapt to linguistic variations? These questions, and more, about our language catapulted Robert MacNeil and William Cran—the authors (with Robert McCrum) of the language classic The Story of English—across the country in search of the answers. Do You Speak American? is the tale of their discoveries, which provocatively show how the standard for American English—if a standard exists—is changing quickly and dramatically. On a journey that takes them from the Northeast, through Appalachia and the Deep South, and west to California, the authors observe everyday verbal interactions and in a host of interviews with native speakers glean the linguistic quirks and traditions characteristic of each area. While examining the histories and controversies surrounding both written and spoken American English, they address anxieties and assumptions that, when explored, are highly emotional, such as the growing influence of Spanish as a threat to American English and the special treatment of African-American vernacular English. And, challenging the purists who think grammatical standards are in serious deterioration and that media saturation of our culture is homogenizing our speech, they surprise us with unpredictable responses. With insight and wit, MacNeil and Cran bring us a compelling book that is at once a celebration and a potent study of our singular language. Each wave of immigration has brought new words to enrich the American language. Do you recognize the origin of 1. blunderbuss, sleigh, stoop, coleslaw, boss, waffle? Or 2. dumb, ouch, shyster, check, kaput, scram, bummer? Or 3. phooey, pastrami, glitch, kibbitz, schnozzle? Or 4. broccoli, espresso, pizza, pasta, macaroni, radio? Or 5. smithereens, lollapalooza, speakeasy, hooligan? Or 6. vamoose, chaps, stampede, mustang, ranch, corral? 1. Dutch 2. German 3. Yiddish 4. Italian 5. Irish 6. Spanish |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Sociolinguistic Theory J. K. Chambers, 2003 Sociolinguistic Theory presents a critical synthesis of sociolinguistics, centering on the study of language variation and change. Synthesizes the most important descriptive and theoretical findings concerning linguistic variation from the last forty years. Provides an integrated framework for studying language variation and its social significance. Expands on the first edition's discussion of communicative competence and developmental sociolinguistics. Is written by one of the world's foremost scholars in the field of variation studies and includes data from his own work. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: The History of Linguistics in Europe Vivien Law, 2003-01-30 This authoritative and wide-ranging book, first published in 2003, examines the history of western linguistics over a 2000-year timespan, from its origins in ancient Greece up to the crucial moment of change in the Renaissance that laid the foundations of modern linguistics. Some of today's burning questions about language date back a long way: in 1400 BC Plato was asking how words relate to reality. Other questions go back just a few generations, such as our interest in the mechanisms of language change, or in the social factors that shape the way we speak. Vivien Law explores how ideas about language over the centuries have changed to reflect changing modes of thinking. A survey chapter brings the coverage of the book up to the present day. Classified bibliographies and chapters on research resources and the qualities the historian of linguistics needs to develop, provide the reader with the tools to go further. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: The Social Stratification of English in New York City William Labov, 2006-11-09 Second edition of William Labov's groundbreaking study, in which he looks back on forty years of achievements in sociolinguistics. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Language in the Inner City William Labov, 1972 Language in the Inner City firmly establishes African American Vernacular English not simply as slang but as a well-formed set of rules of pronunciation and grammar capable of conveying complex logic and reasoning and confirms the Black vernacular as a separate and independent dialect of English. |
| william labov sociolinguistics theory: Sociolinguistic Variation and Change Peter Trudgill, 2001 This book is a selection of Peter Trudgill's major works since 1990, appearing here in updated and revised form. |
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Jun 4, 2025 · Prince William hands out bacon and sausage rolls to military families during his visit to Wattisham Flying Station, Suffolk, on June 4. 2025. Alamy
Prince William: Biography, Prince of Wales, British Royal Family
Mar 15, 2024 · Prince William of Wales is the heir apparent to the British throne. Read about his young life, wife Kate Middleton, children, age, military service, and more.
Prince William, Kate Middleton and kids step out at Trooping ...
2 days ago · Queen Camilla, King Charles III, Prince William, Prince Louis, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Princess Catherine, Princess of Wales appear on the balcony during …
William, Prince of Wales - Wikipedia
William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales . …
William, prince of Wales | Biography, Wife, Children, & Facts ...
4 days ago · William, prince of Wales, elder son of Charles III and Princess Diana and heir apparent to the British throne. He is married to Catherine, princess of Wales, and has three …
Prince William, The Prince of Wales Latest News | HELLO!
3 days ago · Upon the death of his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and the new reign of his father King Charles III, William became the Duke of Cornwall and the new Prince of Wales in …
Kate Middleton and Prince William's Kids Take Over Their ...
1 day ago · The shared Instagram account for Kate Middleton and Prince William welcomed a trio of guest posters Sunday, when children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis …
Prince William Steps Into Role Meant for Prince Harry amid ...
Jun 4, 2025 · Prince William hands out bacon and sausage rolls to military families during his visit to Wattisham Flying Station, Suffolk, on June 4. 2025. Alamy
Prince William: Biography, Prince of Wales, British Royal Family
Mar 15, 2024 · Prince William of Wales is the heir apparent to the British throne. Read about his young life, wife Kate Middleton, children, age, military service, and more.
