Migrant teenagers’ acquisition of sociolinguistic variation
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Erik Schleef
Abstract
This paper investigates the acquisition of the sociolinguistic constraints of two variables, (ing) and (t), by non-native teenagers of Polish origin in both London and Edinburgh. First, the native sociolinguistic constraints on variation of (ing) and (t) are identified. These are then compared with the sociolinguistic constraints of two groups of non-native teenagers living in London and Edinburgh. Results of a multivariate analysis indicate that Polish adolescent immigrants do not acquire the exact same constraints on variation as their local peer group, and that the acquisition of variation varies from variable to variable, which may be due to the character of the variable and its constraint complexity. Learners seem to be using various strategies when acquiring variation in the realisation of these variables in the English of the speech community into which they have moved. While some variable constraints are replicated, there is also evidence of reallocation of the relative importance of variable input constraints in the output variation. Some constraints are altered, rejected and newly constructed, which seems more likely with some kinds of structured variation than others.
Abstract
This paper investigates the acquisition of the sociolinguistic constraints of two variables, (ing) and (t), by non-native teenagers of Polish origin in both London and Edinburgh. First, the native sociolinguistic constraints on variation of (ing) and (t) are identified. These are then compared with the sociolinguistic constraints of two groups of non-native teenagers living in London and Edinburgh. Results of a multivariate analysis indicate that Polish adolescent immigrants do not acquire the exact same constraints on variation as their local peer group, and that the acquisition of variation varies from variable to variable, which may be due to the character of the variable and its constraint complexity. Learners seem to be using various strategies when acquiring variation in the realisation of these variables in the English of the speech community into which they have moved. While some variable constraints are replicated, there is also evidence of reallocation of the relative importance of variable input constraints in the output variation. Some constraints are altered, rejected and newly constructed, which seems more likely with some kinds of structured variation than others.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction vii
- Where is syntactic variation? 1
- Phonological variation in Catalan and Alemannic from a typological perspective 27
- Language ideologies and language attitudes 45
- Late language acquisition and identity construction 57
- The variation of gender agreement on numerals in the Alpine space 69
- ‘Standard usage’ 83
- Code alternation patterns in bilingual family conversations 117
- A variationist approach to syntactic change 129
- Children’s switching/shifting competence in role-playing 145
- The Present Perfect in Cypriot Greek revisited 159
- Chain shifts revisited 173
- And the beat goes on 187
- Migrant teenagers’ acquisition of sociolinguistic variation 201
- The sociophonology and sociophonetics of Scottish Standard English (r) 215
- Stance and code-switching 229
- A town between dialects 247
- Variation of sibilants in Belarusian-Russian mixed speech 267
- The case of [nən] 281
- Index 295
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction vii
- Where is syntactic variation? 1
- Phonological variation in Catalan and Alemannic from a typological perspective 27
- Language ideologies and language attitudes 45
- Late language acquisition and identity construction 57
- The variation of gender agreement on numerals in the Alpine space 69
- ‘Standard usage’ 83
- Code alternation patterns in bilingual family conversations 117
- A variationist approach to syntactic change 129
- Children’s switching/shifting competence in role-playing 145
- The Present Perfect in Cypriot Greek revisited 159
- Chain shifts revisited 173
- And the beat goes on 187
- Migrant teenagers’ acquisition of sociolinguistic variation 201
- The sociophonology and sociophonetics of Scottish Standard English (r) 215
- Stance and code-switching 229
- A town between dialects 247
- Variation of sibilants in Belarusian-Russian mixed speech 267
- The case of [nən] 281
- Index 295
