Ethnicity in Phonological Variation and Change

Abstract

In the Boston dialect, the variable or as in short, forty, has two phonetic variants: dialectal [D ə ], and more standard [O ə ]. Speakers of three ethnic groups—Irish, Italian, and Jewish—showed systematic differences in stylistic and diachronic use of the variants, and in subjective evaluation of them. The observed differences are consistent with a three-stage model of variation and change based on ethnicity and, secondarily, on education. However, an additional factor of ‘cultural force’ is required to explain why the model may operate at different rates. The model has implications for the acquisition of dialectal vs. standard variants, and lends support to the view that the ‘family’ provides a stronger influence than the ‘peer group’ in the development of phonological systems.