LINGUIST List 22.3980 Wed Oct 12 2011 Review: Applied Ling; Pragmatics; Socioling: Kiesling (2011) Editor for this issue: Rajiv Rao <rajivlinguistlist.org> This LINGUIST List issue is a review of a book published by one of our supporting publishers, commissioned by our book review editorial staff. We welcome discussion of this book review on the list, and particularly invite the author(s) or editor(s) of this book to join in. If you are interested in reviewing a book for LINGUIST, look for the most recent posting with the subject "Reviews: AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW", and follow the instructions at the top of the message. You can also contact the book review staff directly. Directory         1.     Memoria James , Linguistic Variation and Change Message 1: Linguistic Variation and Change Date: 12-Oct-2011 From: Memoria James <memoryjmail.utexas.edu> Subject: Linguistic Variation and Change E-mail this message to a friend Discuss this message Announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/22/22-2065.html AUTHOR: Kiesling, Scott F. TITLE: Linguistic Variation and Change SERIES: Edinburgh Sociolinguistics PUBLISHER: Edinburgh University Press YEAR: 2011 Memoria C. James, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Texas at Austin SUMMARY ''Linguistic Variation and Change,'' by Scott F. Kiesling, explains how the findings of various variationist linguistic studies have explained linguistic behaviors in speech communities and how social meaning is embedded in these communities. The book's main purpose is to forego a detailed discussion on variationist linguistic methodology by providing an indispensible, comprehensive resource for students on the theoretical background of linguistic variation. This book assumes no prior knowledge of linguistic variation and statistics. It is written with three different addressees in mind: 1) beginning graduate students who are looking for an overview of linguistic variation research and how to conduct linguistic variation studies; 2) advanced undergraduate students, especially those planning to study applied linguistics in graduate school; and 3) experienced researchers from other related disciplines who need to apply variationist linguistic analyses to the theoretical models in their own research. Since the focus is on English dialects, this book could not be the only source for students studying linguistic variation of non-English languages. The book is organized into four parts, which are comprised of a total of ten chapters. The book includes a terminology and notation conventions page, a phonetic notation page for English vowels, an International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) chart, references, and an index. The first part of the book, which is comprised of Chapters 1-3, addresses questions about language and linguistic variationist methodology. The first chapter serves as a general introduction to the history of linguistic variation, with a focus on the seminal, early programmatic article by Weinreich, Labov, and Herzog (1968). Chapter 1 also provides the goal of this book, which is guided by the set of problems and principles from the 1968 article in order to frame the goals and premises of linguistic variation. In Chapter, 1 the term 'linguistic variable' and phonetic and syntactic terms in relation to linguistic variation are presented. Kiesling diverges from the notion of looking at a linguistic variable as one that can be used in complimentary distribution with another to say or mean the same (or similar) things. Instead, he defines a linguistic variable as a feature with semantic weight that is linguistically represented differently within and/or between communities. Some examples mentioned are the variation between the [ɪn]/[ɪŋ] variants in –ing-final words in U.S. English (Labov 1963) and the alternation of first personal plural pronouns ‘nós’ (‘we’) and ‘a gente’ (lit. ‘the people’ = ‘we’) in Brazilian Portuguese (Zilles 2005). Chapters 2 and 3 address the term 'linguistic variable' and variationist linguistic methodology, respectively. Chapter 2 outlines the notion of the linguistic variable, the fading concept of variable rules (i.e. ordered generative representations of all possible variants of a linguistic variable to determine probabilities and constraints based on various (extra)linguistic factors), logistic regression, statistic programs such as VARBRUL and GOLDVARB, criticisms with the traditional definition of 'linguistic variable' and criticisms of incorrectly interpreting results of variationist linguistic analyses (e.g. tyranny of correlation (narrow attributional interpretation of data results) and atomization of category (failure to acknowledge the interaction between all possible factor groups and a linguistic variable)). Chapter 3 focuses on variationist linguistic methodology by explaining the guiding questions for a research project, ethical issues (e.g. informed consent), identification of the linguistic variable(s) and speech communities to be studied, recording of interviews, codification of variables, description of patterns via statistical testing, and the practice of testing for significance via programs such as VARBRUL. Part II (Chapters 4-7) discusses social patterns and variation. Chapter 4 describes the overall social patterns found in variationist linguistic studies – stratification (i.e. variation based on social prestige levels), accommodation (i.e. adaptation to the speech of other(s)), and differentiation (i.e. variation based on demographic factors) -- and shares studies related to each pattern as well as studies that challenge these patterns. Chapter 5 presents intraspeaker variation (IV) patterns, motivations, and related studies along with definitions of IV-related terms such as register, speech activities and events, genres, frames, voicing, stance, and identity. Chapter 6 examines the function of social meaning by introducing terms to discuss it (e.g. indexicality (a sign category intrinsically linked to its referent)), symbol (i.e. arbitrary, denotational, or referential meaning), and signifier/sign (i.e. a word). This chapter also dedicates itself to social meaning by considering theories about how indexical meanings (i.e. symbolic connotations) are created, changed, and become embedded in speech communities, by revisiting studies related to the application of indexical meanings and by sharing how identity is used. Chapter 7 describes how variation is acquired through all developmental stages from early childhood to adulthood and old age. Essentially, Kiesling states that young children first acquire language variation from their caregivers, and later on in life, their speech is influenced more by their peers. As adults, linguistic changes continue to occur, but to a lesser degree, and may change based on new life experiences and roles. Hence, transmission (i.e. linguistic changes through generations) and incrementation (i.e. changes that move forward by the next generation) are two language variation processes that arise in a speaker’s lifespan. Part III (Chapters 8-9) marks the penultimate section of the book, which provides an overview of structural patterns in different linguistic domains -- phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, suprasegmentals, pragmatics and discourse -- in linguistic variation with a focus on how change progresses due to functional changes, such as assimilation or constraints on place of articulation, and how these changes stabilize (this stability occurs primarily as an adult when there is little variation in speech even while being exposed to other varieties over an extended period of time). Chapter 8 focuses on phonological and morphological changes and patterns, such as chain shifts, mergers, and was/were alternations. Chapter 9 considers language variability in syntactic, lexical, and suprasegmental domains, including studies concerning word order alternations, language contact and word formations, discourse markers, politeness strategies, address terms, and speech rate. Part IV (Chapter 10) concludes and summarizes major points presented in the book. By employing previously mentioned theories, findings, and notions, Chapter 10 discusses how a variant originates, emerges, develops, and spreads through small to larger speech communities. EVALUATION This book is written in an engaging, straightforward style appropriate for advanced undergraduate and graduate students and professionals in the field who are interested in understanding the theories behind variationist linguistic research. Although the text's focus is not on variationist linguistic methodology, its heavily theory-based content, numerous references to more methodological texts and related studies, and carefully defined terms and explanations allow the reader to have a solid foundation in linguistic variation. Kiesling uses many related studies and adaptations of these studies' tables, graphs, and figures to exemplify his explanations and main points. Providing these tables and graphs proves to be particularly useful for students because they are provided with a condensed, yet detailed picture of various studies that fall under the discipline of linguistic variation. Moreover, most of the chapters are 13 pages or shorter, which makes this book an easy read for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students alike. The author provides useful information on how to theorize and think critically about one's own study before coding data or running statistical tests. Unlike other recent books on linguistic variation, this text provides theoretical information by way of examples from actual variationist studies, many of which may already be familiar to the reader (e.g. Labov's (1966) study of /r/ deletion in New York City department stores or Eckert's (2000) study of communities of practice among Detroit high school students). Studies such as these may serve as likely models for students and may guide them in the formation of their own explorations of linguistic variables. Regrettably, this book focuses primarily on English dialects, such as American, British, or Canadian, and Western culture and ideas. Therefore, this book would have to be accompanied by non-English resources if used in a non-English-focused department (e.g. a linguistics course in a Romance Linguistics Department). Chapter 9 contains the most studies about non-English languages and momentarily talks about language contact. However, the mention of these non-English languages and accompanying studies is quite brief compared to the content about English dialects. Nevertheless, Kiesling succeeds in beginning most chapters with guiding, thought-provoking questions, outlining topics discussed in previous sections or chapters, presenting what will be discussed subsequently, and linking the previous and forthcoming theories or concepts together. He also explains findings and conclusions in technical and plain language and buttresses complex ideas with helpful examples that are sometimes related to personal hypothetical situations. The book provides complete references for all works cited. The index is comprehensive; however, the book would have benefited from the inclusion of a glossary of terms. A glossary of terms would have been especially helpful to students unfamiliar with grammatical or linguistic jargon. Furthermore, a chapter focusing more on linguistic variationist methodology in relation to previous studies and how to present the results of such data would have been particularly useful, especially for undergraduate and graduate students not sure about how to set up a study and what information, such as tables and figures, should be included in a results section. ''Linguistic Variation and Change'' exposes the reader to a plethora of theoretical information, based on various studies, to guide the reader to not only understand and be more knowledgeable about the underpinnings of variationist linguistic analysis, but also to help the reader yield a well-researched, comprehensive foundation for a study of his or her own. This book will be particularly fitting as a textbook for introducing graduate students to linguistic variation for the first time. REFERENCES Eckert, Penelope. 2000. Linguistic variation as social practice. Oxford: Blackwell. Labov, William. 1963. The social motivation of a sound change. Word, 19, 273-309. Labov, William. 1966. The social stratification of English in New York City. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. Weinreich, Uriel, William Labov & Marvin Herzog. 1968. Empirical foundations for a theory of language change. In Winfred P. Lehmann & Yakov Malkiel (eds.), Directions for historical linguistics, 95-195. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. Zilles, Ana. 2005. The development of a new pronoun: The linguistic and social embedding of a gente in Brazilian Portuguese. Language Variation and Change, 17, 19-53. ABOUT THE REVIEWER Memoria C. James is Assistant Instructor of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently conducting research on Brazilian Portuguese register variation in spoken and written modes. Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 12-Oct-2011       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.