The globalisation of vernacular variation

TLDR

New Zealand English has shifted over the past half century from older British‑like norms toward newer American‑like ones, affecting both lexical items and phonological variables. The paper aims to evaluate how globalisation principles, particularly Americanisation, apply to language variation by examining their theoretical and methodological implications. It does so by analysing social‑science principles associated with globalisation and exploring their relevance for studying linguistic change. The authors find that New Zealanders hold distinct attitudes toward variants previously grouped together, indicating that globalisation with localisation matters, and that variables once attributed to globalisation may instead reflect a broadening of the vernacular base.

Abstract

Work on variation and change in New Zealand English has identified a shift from older, more British‐like norms to newer, more American‐like ones in the last half century. The shift seems to affect lexical items, and phonological variables. This paper considers some general principles found, in the social sciences, to be associated with globalisation and considers what the theoretical and methodological implications are for the study of language variation if we talk about changes like those taking place in New Zealand English as being the effects of globalisation (or, more specifically, Americanisation). A study showing that New Zealanders have very different attitudes to variants that sociolinguists have lumped together in the past, suggests that globalisation with localisation is an important principle for variationists to take into account. It is suggested that variables hitherto analysed as being the consequence of globalisation might be better thought of as reflecting a ‘broadening of the vernacular base’.