lesson 3 Flashcards

1
Q

real-time studies

A

● reliability = high
● feasibility = low

Two types of real-time studies
● panel studies
○ same informant(s) studied at different times
○ high reliability but low feasibility

● trend studies
○ similar sample of population studied at different times
○ still high reliability but also higher feasibility

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2
Q

apparent-time studies

A

● reliability = ?
● feasibility = high

Reliability of apparent time
Most speakers are stable in adulthood, so apparent-time is reliable

Some speakers do change in adulthood

● all of these change in direction of community change

● so some slight caution is necessary with apparent time
○ overestimates % of feature in the past
○ underestimates rate of change

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3
Q

real time

A

Augustinian time. The
passing of years, hours,
minutes and seconds
that we measure with
calendars and clocks
and that we think we
understand until we
really think about it.

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4
Q

apparent time

A

The apparent passage
of time is measured
by comparing
speakers of different
ages in a single
speech community
at a single time. If
younger speakers
behave differently
from older speakers,
it is assumed that
change has taken place
within the community.
The apparent time
construct relies
on the assumption
that speakers only
minimally change the
way they speak after
the critical period or
in adulthood. A useful
method where real
time data is absent.

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5
Q

critical period

A

The period during
which language
learning seems to
be easiest; that is, in
childhood and for
some people going into
early adolescence.

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6
Q

significant/significance

A

Significance has
a technical sense,
in which it is a
statistical measure.
The distribution of a
variant is said to be
statistically significant
if it is unlikely to
have arisen just by
chance. Sociolinguists
generally follow
normal social science
practice and require
that tests show there
is less than a 5 per
cent chance that
the distribution of a
variable in relation to
other factors might be
simply a coincidence
before they will claim
there is a significant
correlation or
patterning between
the variant and some
independent factor.

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7
Q

generational change

A

Each generation in
a community shows
progressively more
and more frequent use
of a variant. A change
that can be inferred
to be taking place on
the basis of apparent
time evidence is a
generational change.

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8
Q

lifespan change

A

A term introduced to
the study of language
variation and change
by Gillian Sankoff.
Changes to a speaker’s
pronunciation or
grammar that take
place after the
critical period can
be described as a
lifespan change.
Lifespan changes
in pronunciation
appear to be severely
restricted in their form:
they generally only
move in the direction
of the community
overall (see also
generational change)
and they may also be
constrained to certain
input or starting points
for a speaker. On the
other hand, lifespan
change is well-attested
for vocabulary

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9
Q

age-grading

A

If, as a rule, all
speakers of a
community use more
tokens of one variant
at a certain age and
more tokens of another
variant at another age,
the variable is said to
be age-graded.

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10
Q

stable variable

A

If there is no
evidence (e.g.,
from generational
change) that one
variant is pushing
out another variant,
the variable can be
considered stable.
A classic example
is the alternation
between the alveolar
and velar nasals in
the word-final -ing
which has existed for
centuries and shows no
signs of disappearing
at present. Stable
variables may
exhibit age-grading
(i.e., avoidance of a
stigmatised variant in
adulthood)

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11
Q

linguistic marketplace

A

A way of talking about
the extent to which an
occupation or activity
is associated with
use of the standard
language.

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12
Q

community-wide change

A

An entire group or
community switch to
use of a new variant at
about the same time.

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