1. L23B: Sociolinguistics 2005-2006
Please Turn off all cellular phones & pagers
L23B Website:
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2. Course Assessment Incourse Test (40% of total grade)
TEST DATE: MONDAY, APRIL 3, 2006 (2-4pm)
Final Exam
(60% of total grade)
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3. Topics for this Session
Brief Review
Language Change cont’d
Theories
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4. Language change in progress
Examples of Researches
Chambers & Trudgill (1980)
Labov’s work - Martha’s Vineyard –Wardhaugh (pg.197)
Trudgill’s work in Norwich
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5. Martha’s Vineyard Variables (Diphthongs):
(aw) variable – [a] vs. []
eg. house, out
(ay) variable – [a] vs. []
eg. While, pie, night
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6. Martha’s Vineyard Labov’s findings:
change initiated by fisherman [occupation]
change was picked up and imitated particular by people aged [age]
change more typical in Chilmark [residence].
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7. Language Change
Related to:
Age
Social Class
Gender
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8. Women’s language (Lakoff, Cameron)
Lexical hedges & Fillers
Tag questions
Rising Tones on Declaratives
Empty adjectives
Precise Colour terms
Intensifiers
Over-use of Standard, Polite terms
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9. THEORIES developed to account for variation & change
Social Networks
Accommodation Theory
Acts of Identity
Ideology & language use
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10. Sources 1. Social Network
Prescribed Text ch. 16, Wardhaugh (pg , ), Holmes (pg ).
2.    Acts of Identity
LePage (on reserve), Prescribed Text ch. 20.
3.    Accommodation Theory
Prescribed Text ch. 18, Holmes (pg ).
4. Language and Ideology
Prescribed Text ch. 6, Woolard (available at DITTO).
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11. Social Networks Lesley Milroy research in Ireland (1980)
Clonard, Hammer & Ballymacarret
geographically defined
industrial/residential areas
non-standard would be the norm
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12. Milroy - Ireland Milroy wanted to find out if informants were:
(a) members of a working club group?
(b) had any relatives living in the community?
(c) worked similar places with at least 2 members of the community?
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13. Networks 2 main distinctions:
Networks can be Dense (closed) or sparse (open)
Network ties may be multiplex or uniplex
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14. Networks close knit networks will create value for variety of network
close knit networks will create a counter balance/ “resistance”
those with loose network ties will be more susceptible to change
gender difference –in language production hence difference in networks.  
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15. Social Networks MILROY & MILROY (1992) network strength
“to the extent that ties are strong, linguistic change will be prevented, whereas to the extent that they are weak, they will be more open to external influences and so linguistic change will be facilitated”
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