Sociolinguistics and immigration: linguistic variation among adolescents in London and Edinburgh
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Sch of Philosophy Psychology & Language
Abstract
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Organisations
Publications
Clark L
(2010)
The acquisition of sociolinguistic evaluations among Polish-born adolescents learning English: evidence from perception
in Language Awareness
Daleszynska-Slater A
The voice of Polan[t]: Modelling L1 interference in the acquisition of (t, d) variation by Polish migrants in Edinburgh.
in Language Variation and Change
Meyerhoff M
(2012)
Variation, contact and social indexicality in the acquisition of (ing) by teenage migrants 1
in Journal of Sociolinguistics
Meyerhoff M
(2014)
Sociolinguistics in Scotland
Miriam M (author)
(2010)
Sociolinguistics and immigration : variation among Polish adolescents living in the UK
Miriam Meyerhoff
(2010)
Proceedings of the Summer School of Sociolinguistics 2010
Miriam Meyerhoff (Author)
(2011)
Creating gender distinctions : migrant teens' acquisition of sociolinguistic variation
Miriam Meyerhoff (author)
(2012)
More on the nature of (ing): Non-native speaker insights into possible typological constraints
| Description | Developmental stages in the acquisition of variation in English /t/ |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This study investigates the patterns of variation in the speech of teenage migrants in London, focusing on intervocalic and word-final (t) with its released and glottaled variants. Data analysis is based on conversations from 21 Polish and 24 locally-born teenagers, which we use as a benchmark for establishing the norms of variation the Polish kids have the most frequent exposure to. Among native Londoners variation is affected by the constraints of preceding and following segment as well as style and lexical frequency in word-final position. In word-medial position, these as well as grammatical category are the significant factor groups constraining glottal replacement of /t/. This talk pursues two questions. First, are these constraint hierarchies acquired by non-native speakers and if so when? Second, at what point are non-native speakers able to use glottal replacement of /t/, a highly-salient English variant with links to youth language, as a stylistic resource? To answer these questions, the non-native speakers have been subdivided into three groups and their acquisition progress is analysed by length of time spent in London. Results indicate that the Polish teenagers do not replicate native constraints all at once but one by one, adding and replacing constraints as they acquire glottal variation in /t/, guided, to a certain extent, by input frequencies of native speakers. The results of our study raise several questions regarding order of constraint acquisition and the role of frequency. We speculate that some constraints are more readily acquired than others, and we explain why lexical frequency plays a very important role in the acquisition process. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | Learning to sound Bri[_]ish: Immigrant teenagers' acquisition of T-glottalling as a stylistic resource |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Conference talk |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Talking local : Polish teenagers' acquisition of English variation in Edinburgh and London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited lectures given at the University of Leeds, University of Manchester, Oxford University (New College), University of Auckland, New York University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Hong Kong with similar titles. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010,2012 |