Variation and (socio)linguistic theory : a case study of Tyneside English
This thesis is concerned with the relationship between (a) patterns of sociolinguistic variation and (b) issues in theoretical linguistics. The patterns of sociolinguistic variation are derived from data collected from twenty speakers of Tyneside English. The recordings of the speakers were made broadly following a social network model, divided to sample the speech community along parameters of age and gender. The issues in theoretical linguistics concern the semantics and (morpho)syntax of modal verbs in English, and the phonological behaviour of the oral stops in specific linguistic environments. The thesis aims to show how a holistic approach to variation in the speech community, informed by knowledge of both sociolinguistic and formal linguistic theory, can best account for the data. The introduction expands on the aims of this thesis, and provides a more detailed synopsis of the materials in each chapter than is given in this abstract. Chapter 1 briefly summarises certain aspects of the historical evolution of the Tyneside English (TE) accent, along with some analysis of TE syntactic and morphological patterns, to set the main discussion of the variables in the following chapters within a wider context.
Trousdale, Graeme Murray
Variation and (socio)linguistic theory : a case study of Tyneside English. This thesis is concerned with the relationship between (a) patterns of sociolinguistic variation and (b) issues in theoretical linguistics. The patterns of sociolinguistic variation are derived from data collected from twenty speakers of Tyneside English. The recordings of the speakers were made broadly following a social network model, divided to sample the speech community along parameters of age and gender. The issues in theoretical linguistics concern the semantics and (morpho)syntax of modal verbs in English, and the phonological behaviour of the oral stops in specific linguistic environments. The thesis aims to show how a holistic approach to variation in the speech community, informed by knowledge of both sociolinguistic and formal linguistic theory, can best account for the data. The introduction expands on the aims of this thesis, and provides a more detailed synopsis of the materials in each chapter than is given in this abstract. Chapter 1 briefly summarises certain aspects of the historical evolution of the Tyneside English (TE) accent, along with some analysis of TE syntactic and morphological patterns, to set the main discussion of the variables in the following chapters within a wider context.
variation socio linguistic_theory case_study tyneside_english concern_relationship pattern sociolinguistic_variation issue theoretical_linguistics pattern sociolinguistic_variation derive data_collect twenty speaker tyneside_english recording speaker make broadly_follow social_network model divide sample speech_community along parameter age_gender issue theoretical_linguistics concern semantics morpho syntax modal_verb english phonological behaviour oral stop specific_linguistic environment aim_show holistic variation_speech community inform knowledge sociolinguistic formal_linguistic theory best account_data introduction expand aim_provide detailed synopsis material give abstract briefly summarises certain_aspect historical_evolution tyneside_english accent along analysis syntactic morphological_pattern set main discussion variable follow within_wide context