Jennifer Nycz - Böcker

This book provides a critical overview of sociophonetic research and considers how the findings of this field illuminate and problematize a range of central issues in phonetics and phonology. The core argument of the volume is that research carried out under the aegis of sociophonetics is uniquely positioned to address core questions in phonetic and phonological theory; to raise new questions for research; to improve theories of how the sounds of language are represented, structured, produced, and perceived; and to discern the relationship between the linguistic system and the social context in which speech production and perception occur. The chapters address three key areas of impact for sociophonetic research - linguistic structure, the relationships between perception, production, and social representations, and language change - and outline further opportunities for interdisciplinary synergy. The book will appeal to researchers interested in questions surrounding phonological and phonetic representations and processes, and to scholars whose focus is the social patterning of phonetic variation; it also provides valuable suggestions for the design of future studies and the re-analysis of existing data.

This book provides a critical overview of sociophonetic research and considers how the findings of this field illuminate and problematize a range of central issues in phonetics and phonology. The core argument of the volume is that research carried out under the aegis of sociophonetics is uniquely positioned to address core questions in phonetic and phonological theory; to raise new questions for research; to improve theories of how the sounds of language are represented, structured, produced, and perceived; and to discern the relationship between the linguistic system and the social context in which speech production and perception occur. The chapters address three key areas of impact for sociophonetic research - linguistic structure, the relationships between perception, production, and social representations, and language change - and outline further opportunities for interdisciplinary synergy. The book will appeal to researchers interested in questions surrounding phonological and phonetic representations and processes, and to scholars whose focus is the social patterning of phonetic variation; it also provides valuable suggestions for the design of future studies and the re-analysis of existing data.

New research expands the linguistic understanding of dialect contact in specific communities and individualsDialect contact occurs whenever speakers of mutually intelligible language varieties interact. Many linguists are interested in the outcome of such contact—how it leads people and languages to vary and change, and what such patterns can reveal about language, mind, and society. Dialect contact can thus be approached as an individual-level or a community-level phenomenon; a cognitive process or a social one.In Dialect Contact, international contributors present studies touching on both perspectives, representing languages and varieties spanning five continents. The chapters shed light on the many factors influencing dialect change and highlight the importance of considering the contact dynamics that are specific to individual people and communities.This book will benefit sociolinguistics scholars and students interested in the outcomes of dialect contact, the implications of contact for understanding language change, and the various methods used to investigate contact effects in individuals and communities.