Language Variation. Flashcards
What is language variation?
Accent, lexicon, morphology and syntax may vary person to person depending on idiolect, sociolect and dialect.
What do variationists do?
Study how a language changes by observing it through looking at authentic data.
What was labovs 1996 new york study about?
Studied how often the final or preconsonantal (r) was sounded in words like guard, bare and beer. Use of this variable has considerable prestige in NYC.
Outline the content of labovs 1996 NY study.
The speech of sales assistants in three manhattan stores.
In order from top to bottom in terms of price and fashion scale:
Saks.
Macys.
Kleins.
Unwitting informants were approached with a factual enquiry to elicit the answer “fourth floor” - which may or may not contrain the final or preconsonantal (r).
What was the results of the labov study?
Frequency of the use of the prestige variable final or preconsomantal “r” varied with level of formality and social class.
