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SUMMARY:Historical sociolinguistics and the transmission of language chang
 e - Prof Terttu Nevalainen (Department of Linguistics\, University of Hels
 inki)
DTSTART:20071101T173000Z
DTEND:20071101T190000Z
UID:TALK7828@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Christopher Lucas
DESCRIPTION:My paper discusses historical language change in sociolinguist
 ic terms\, but also uses historical data to give feedback on sociolinguist
 s’ arguments concerning the mechanisms of language change. The paper add
 resses the potential contradiction arising from the notion that linguistic
  changes are socially unique (‘Principle of Contingency’)\, but can ne
 vertheless be expected to progress predictably along an S-shaped curve. Th
 is basic predictability is usually presented as a consequence of the gener
 al condition for linguistic change that successive generations have to lea
 rn to speak differently from each other\, a condition that Labov (2001) ca
 lls the ‘Transmission Problem’. Long-term historical changes in Englis
 h provide the real-time data against which these two principles of linguis
 tic change are examined and\, to some extent\, reconciled.\n\n\nReferences
 \n\nLabov\, William (2001). Principles of Linguistic Change. Vol. 2: Socia
 l Factors. Oxford\, UK & Cambridge\, USA: Blackwell.\n\nNevalainen\, Tertt
 u & Helena Raumolin-Brunberg (2003). Historical Sociolinguistics: Language
  Change in Tudor and Stuart England. London: Pearson Education.\n
LOCATION:GR06-7\, English Faculty\, 9 West Road (Sidgwick Site)
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