LANGUAGE CHANGEHOLMES 2001

Presenter: KÜBRA DÖLEK

VARIATION and CHANGE

Language varies in three major ways:1) over time2) in physical space (or regional)3) socially

•«Within a monolingual community, even in a small town , it often seems that everybody uses the same language. However, with a little attention/thought it can be seen that there is variation in vocabulary and/or pronunciation.»

•«All language change has its origins in variation. The possibility of a linguistic change exists as soon as a new form develops and begins to be used alongside an existing form. If the new form spreads, the change is in progress. If it eventually displaces the old form, the change has become a ‘falt accompli’- it has gone to completion.»

Post-vocalic [r] – its spread and its status

• Post-vocalic [r] is pronounced in London ( in the south-east of England but not in south-west part)•Rhotic: accents with post-vocalic [r]* Star – start – father – mother etc.

•While [r] less speech is the prestigious form which is still spreading in England, in some parts of America it is the rhotic variety which is increasing.

The spread of vernacular forms

HOW DO CHANGES SPREAD?

•From group to group •From style to style•From word to word –lexical diffusion

• Lexical diffusion: Sound changes spread through different words one by one.•A vowel change example: pull – put – should 1 2 3

HOW DO WE STUDY LANGUAGE CHANGE?

•Apparent-time studies of language change•Language change in real time

REASONS FOR LANGUAGE CHANGE

•Social status and language change•Gender and language change• Interaction and language change

Social status and language changeExample: «Upper-class London speech has prestige in the eyes of many people from outside London. Middle-class people in Norwich who visit London regularly are therefore likely to introduce prestigious new London pronunciations. For instance, the pronunciation of the vowel in top has changed in Norwich from [ta:p] to [top].»* «Lower-class speakers are more influential in spreading less conscious linguistic changes. Lower-class speakers often adopt speech forms from nearby local workers to express solidarity, rather than status or prestige.»

Gender and language change

•«Sometimes women are the innovators; leading a linguistic change, and sometimes men. Women tend to be associated with changes towards both prestige and vernacular norms, whereas men more often introduce vernacular changes.»

•{Example: Farm- village- fishermen}

Interaction and language change

• Interaction and contact between people is crucial for linguistic change.• Linguistic change progresses slowly in thightly knit communities which have little contact with the outside world.•Example: «Icelandic has altered relatively little since the thirteen century, and it has developed very little dialectal variation. On the contrary, during the same period English has changed radically and has been characterised by gross dialectal variation.»

Is face-to-face interaction crucial for linguistic change? Or is exposure to new forms on the media sufficient? •Linguists are not yet sure about the answer of this question. There are different beliefs and claims. However, the most popular one is the view that the media can soften listeners up by exposing them to new forms in the speech of admired pop stars or TV personalities. On the other hand, interaction with real people is more influential in linguistic change, and there is some evidence that the change is spreading by face-to-face contact rather than via the media.

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