‘When intuitions (don't) fail’: combining syntax and sociolinguistics in the analysis of Scots

IF 0.9 2区 文学 0 LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS
E JAMIESON, JENNIFER SMITH, DAVID ADGER, CAROLINE HEYCOCK, GARY THOMS
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

A perennial problem for sociolinguists interested in morphosyntactic variation is that such forms are often low frequency, making quantitative analysis difficult or impossible. However, sociolinguists have been generally reluctant to adopt methodologies from syntax, such as acceptability data gleaned from speaker intuition, due to the belief that these judgments are not necessarily reliable. In this article we present data from the Scots Syntax Atlas, which employs sociolinguistic methodologies in spoken data alongside the results of acceptability judgments. We target three morphosyntactic variables and compare and contrast these across the two data types in order to assess the reliability of the judgment data at community level. The results show that reliability is variable-dependent. For some variables, there is clear correlation; with others, it appears that, as Labov (1996) phrased it, ‘intuitions fail’. We discuss how factors such as salience, social stigma and local identity combine to govern the reliability of judgment data.

当直觉(不)失效时":结合句法学和社会语言学分析苏格兰语
对于对形态句法变异感兴趣的社会语言学家来说,一个长期存在的问题是这种形式往往频率很低,因此很难或不可能进行定量分析。然而,社会语言学家一般不愿意采用句法中的方法,例如从说话者直觉中收集的可接受性数据,因为他们认为这些判断并不一定可靠。在本文中,我们介绍了来自苏格兰语法图集的数据,该图集在口语数据中采用了社会语言学方法和可接受性判断结果。我们以三个形态句法变量为研究对象,并在两种数据类型中进行对比,以评估社区层面判断数据的可靠性。结果表明,可靠性取决于变量。对于某些变量,存在明显的相关性;而对于另一些变量,正如拉博夫(1996 年)所说,似乎 "直觉失灵"。我们讨论了显著性、社会耻辱感和地方认同等因素如何共同影响判断数据的可靠性。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
2.70
自引率
10.00%
发文量
46
期刊介绍: English Language and Linguistics, published twice a year, is an international journal which focuses on the description of the English language within the framework of contemporary linguistics. The journal is concerned equally with the synchronic and the diachronic aspects of English language studies and publishes articles of the highest quality which make a substantial contribution to our understanding of the structure and development of the English language and which are informed by a knowledge and appreciation of linguistic theory. English Language and Linguistics carries articles and short discussion papers or squibs on all core aspects of English, from its beginnings to the present day, including syntax, morphology, phonology, semantics, pragmatics, corpus linguistics and lexis.
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