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Calibrate to innovate: community age vectors and the real time incrementation of language change

Calibrate to innovate: community age vectors and the real time incrementation of language change
Calibrate to innovate: community age vectors and the real time incrementation of language change
This study investigates children’s real time incrementation of language change as it is impacted by community wide patterns of linguistic variability. The investigation combines apparent time analyses across an age-stratified sample of adult speakers, with real time analyses across a panel of speakers spanning childhood to adolescence. Three variables are analysed: GOOSE-fronting, a socially unmarked change; TH-fronting, a socially stigmatised, rapidly expanding change; and T-glottaling a socially stigmatised, steadily shifting change. Variables are selected based on their social and generational profiles which present learners with more or less challenging community patterns to extract. Real time analyses confirm that community variance impacts on speakers’ ability to increment change in real time. Findings provide support for the momentum based model of language change and builds on Labov’s (2012:267) theory of the ‘outward orientation’ of children which views learners as capable of extracting age vectors from generational differences.
GOOSE-fronting, T-glottaling, TH-fronting, incrementation, language change, real time
0047-4045
1-34
Holmes-Elliott, Sophie
5403c74b-319f-4367-9631-7a831fe06bf9
Holmes-Elliott, Sophie
5403c74b-319f-4367-9631-7a831fe06bf9

Holmes-Elliott, Sophie (2020) Calibrate to innovate: community age vectors and the real time incrementation of language change. Language in Society, 0, 1-34. (doi:10.1017/S0047404520000834).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This study investigates children’s real time incrementation of language change as it is impacted by community wide patterns of linguistic variability. The investigation combines apparent time analyses across an age-stratified sample of adult speakers, with real time analyses across a panel of speakers spanning childhood to adolescence. Three variables are analysed: GOOSE-fronting, a socially unmarked change; TH-fronting, a socially stigmatised, rapidly expanding change; and T-glottaling a socially stigmatised, steadily shifting change. Variables are selected based on their social and generational profiles which present learners with more or less challenging community patterns to extract. Real time analyses confirm that community variance impacts on speakers’ ability to increment change in real time. Findings provide support for the momentum based model of language change and builds on Labov’s (2012:267) theory of the ‘outward orientation’ of children which views learners as capable of extracting age vectors from generational differences.

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Accepted/In Press date: 12 June 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 7 October 2020
Keywords: GOOSE-fronting, T-glottaling, TH-fronting, incrementation, language change, real time

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 443235
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/443235
ISSN: 0047-4045
PURE UUID: c7b861bf-73a2-4ea8-a049-c1a525ef98a8

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Date deposited: 26 Oct 2020 17:33
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 05:59

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Author: Sophie Holmes-Elliott

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