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Chapter 5. Language change caught in the act

A case study of Frisian relative pronouns
  • Jelske Dijkstra , Wilbert Heeringa , Emre Yılmaz , Henk van den Heuvel , David van Leeuwen and Hans Van de Velde
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Language Variation - European Perspectives VII
This chapter is in the book Language Variation - European Perspectives VII

Abstract

This study investigates language change in Frisian relative pronouns in a corpus of Frisian radio broadcasts (1966–2015). In spite of the limitations of this corpus, we were able to catch language change in the act. The analyses show that until the 1980s the younger speakers in these broadcasts lead the rise of t-full relative pronouns, a change that was first observed in literature at the end of the 19th century. From the 1980s onwards the new younger generation reversed this change and increasingly started using the t-less relative pronouns. Additionally, the increase of t-less forms occurred mostly in non-scripted, spontaneous speech. It does not seem to play a role whether the speaker is a presenter or an interviewee/guest.

Abstract

This study investigates language change in Frisian relative pronouns in a corpus of Frisian radio broadcasts (1966–2015). In spite of the limitations of this corpus, we were able to catch language change in the act. The analyses show that until the 1980s the younger speakers in these broadcasts lead the rise of t-full relative pronouns, a change that was first observed in literature at the end of the 19th century. From the 1980s onwards the new younger generation reversed this change and increasingly started using the t-less relative pronouns. Additionally, the increase of t-less forms occurred mostly in non-scripted, spontaneous speech. It does not seem to play a role whether the speaker is a presenter or an interviewee/guest.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Chapter 1. Language hybridism 9
  6. Chapter 2. Of clocks, clouds and sound change 27
  7. Chapter 3. Evaluations of foreign accent in a purist speech community 53
  8. Chapter 4. C’era i fascisti e i tedeschi 71
  9. Chapter 5. Language change caught in the act 85
  10. Chapter 6. Virtual sociolinguistics 103
  11. Chapter 7. ASPA Tools or how to measure foreign-accentedness and intelligibility in an objective manner 119
  12. Chapter 8. Vowel harmony patterns in Greek dialectal child speech 133
  13. Chapter 9. Tracking change in social meaning 145
  14. Chapter 10. Slit-t in Dublin English 159
  15. Chapter 11. Panel and trend studies 175
  16. Chapter 12. Quotative variation in Bernese Swiss German 191
  17. Chapter 13. Dialect levelling or shift 203
  18. Chapter 14. Complementing in another language 217
  19. Chapter 15. The past perfect in Cypriot Greek 231
  20. Index 245
https://doi.org/10.1075/silv.22.05dij

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Chapter 1. Language hybridism 9
  6. Chapter 2. Of clocks, clouds and sound change 27
  7. Chapter 3. Evaluations of foreign accent in a purist speech community 53
  8. Chapter 4. C’era i fascisti e i tedeschi 71
  9. Chapter 5. Language change caught in the act 85
  10. Chapter 6. Virtual sociolinguistics 103
  11. Chapter 7. ASPA Tools or how to measure foreign-accentedness and intelligibility in an objective manner 119
  12. Chapter 8. Vowel harmony patterns in Greek dialectal child speech 133
  13. Chapter 9. Tracking change in social meaning 145
  14. Chapter 10. Slit-t in Dublin English 159
  15. Chapter 11. Panel and trend studies 175
  16. Chapter 12. Quotative variation in Bernese Swiss German 191
  17. Chapter 13. Dialect levelling or shift 203
  18. Chapter 14. Complementing in another language 217
  19. Chapter 15. The past perfect in Cypriot Greek 231
  20. Index 245
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