Each p[ɚ]son does it th[εː] way: Rhoticity variation and the community grammar. (March 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Blaxter, Tam; Beeching, Kate; Coates, Richard; Murphy, James; Robinson, Emily
• Is Part Of: Language variation and change. Volume 31:Number 1(2019)
• Page Start: 91
• Page End: 117
• Publication Date: 2019-03
• Subjects: Linguistic change -- Periodicals; Sociolinguistics -- Periodicals; 410.05
• DOI: 10.1017/S0954394519000048
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0954-3945

Abstract

Abstract: This paper examines individual differences in constraints on linguistic variation in light of Labov's (2007) proposal that adult change (diffusion) disrupts systems of constraints and Tamminga, MacKenzie, and Embick's (2016) typology of constraints. It is shown that, in pooling data from multiple speakers, some of the complexity in structured community variation may be overlooked. Data on rhoticity from speakers of Bristol English are compared to 34 previous studies of rhoticity in varieties of English around the world. Constraints found to be consistent across varieties are also found to be consistent across speakers of Bristol English, whereas those that differ between varieties also differ between individuals, implying that only those which differ are truly part of the grammar, and that these are indeed disrupted by diffusion.