Levelling across the life‐span?: Tracing the face vowel in panel data from the North East of England. (February 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Buchstaller, Isabelle; Krause, Anne; Auer, Anja; Otte, Stefanie
• Is Part Of: Journal of sociolinguistics. Volume 21:Number 1(2017)
• Page Start: 3
• Page End: 33
• Publication Date: 2017-02
• Subjects: Language change -- change across the life‐span -- monophthongisation -- face vowel -- Northern Englishes -- levelling; Sociolinguistics -- Periodicals; 306.4405
• DOI: 10.1111/josl.12227
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1360-6441

Abstract

Abstract : Apparent time analysis has revealed that the Tynesideface vowel is the site of two intersecting trends: levelling towards the supra‐northern monophthong as well as the gradual incursion of the southern standard closing diphthong. This article investigates the participation of individual speakers across their life‐span in these ongoing changes in theface vowel. We report on a small‐scale panel sample of six speakers who were recorded in 1971 and again, 42 years later, in 2013. The analysis probes the stability of individual speakers' grammars, relying on longitudinal ethnographic analysis in the community as well as insights gleaned from sociolinguistic interviews about the speakers' socio‐demographic trajectory and their presentations of self. The article contributes to the growing body of panel research that aims to determine the scope and the limits of linguistic malleability across speakers' life histories.