Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T03:46:08.435Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dialect Mixture versus Monogenesis in Colonial Varieties: The Inevitability of Canadian English?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2016

Peter Trudgill
Peter Trudgill*
Affiliation:
University of Fribourg
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Similarities between varieties of the same languages can be explained in terms of shared retentions or innovations. Conversely, differences can be explained in terms of new vocabulary items, divergent changes, language contact, and dialect contact. The latter has been challenged by proponents of monogenetic theories. Evidence for and against monogenetic hypotheses are considered on the basis of two case studies. First, I demonstrate that the dialect enclave of Lunenberg County, Nova Scotia, is a mixed colonial dialect. Second, I argue that the phenomenon of Canadian Raising is the result of dialect mixture. The Canadian English data provide evidence for a connection between dialect contact, mixture, and genesis. The data support the idea that there is a deterministic outcome in situations where the target language is not spoken by a prior-existing population, which in turn accounts for why widely separated varieties of English are similar.

Résumé

Résumé

Les similarités entre les variétés d’une même langue peuvent être expliquées en termes de conservations ou d’innovations partagées. Inversement, les différences peuvent être expliquées en termes d’innovations lexicales, de changements divergents, de langues en contact, ainsi que de dialectes en contact. Ce dernier a été remis en question par les adhérents de théories monogénétiques. Les arguments pour et contre les hypothèses monogénétiques sont considérés sur la base de deux études. Dans un premier temps, je démontre que l’enclave dialectale du comté de Lunenberg, en Nouvelle Ecosse, est un dialecte colonial mixte. Par la suite, j’argumente que le phénomène de Canadian Raising est le résultat d’un mélange dialectal. Les données de l’anglais canadien fournissent des preuves pour une relation étroite entre les dialectes en contact, le mélange de dialectes et la genèse de dialecte. Elles appuient l’idée qu’il y a un aboutissement déterministique dans les situations où la langue cible n’est pas parlée par une population préexistante, ce qui rend compte du fait que des variétés d’anglais qui sont géographiquement séparées se ressemblent.

Type
Language Change
Information
Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique , Volume 51 , Issue 2-3: Canadian English in a Global Context , November 2006 , pp. 265 - 286
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Linguistic Association 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Algeo, John. 2001. External history. In The Cambridge history of the English language, Vol. 6: English in North America, ed. Algeo, John, 1–58. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bailey, Richard W. 1982. The English language in Canada. In English as a world language, ed. Bailey, Richard W and Görlach, Manfred, 134–176. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Bauer, Laurie. 1994. English in New Zealand. In The Cambridge history of the English language, Vol. 5: English in Britain and overseas —Origins and development, ed. Burchfield, Robert, 382–429. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bauer, Laurie. 2000. The dialectal origins of New Zealand English. In New Zealand English, ed. Bell, Allan and Kuiper, Koenraad, 40–52. Amsterdam: Benjamins.Google Scholar
Branford, William. 1994. English in South Africa. In The Cambridge history of the English language, Vol. 5: English in Britain and overseas —Origins and development, ed. Burchfield, Robert, 430–495. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Brinton, Laurel, and Fee, Margery. 2001. Canadian English. In The Cambridge history of the English language, Vol. 6: English in North America, ed. Algeo, John, 422–440. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Britain, David. 1997. Dialect contact and phonological reallocation: ‘Canadian Raising’ in the English Fens. Language in Society 26:15–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Britain, David. 2002. Diffusion, levelling, simplification and reallocation in past tense BE in the English Fens. Journal of Sociolinguistics 6:16–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Britain, David, and Trudgill, Peter. 1999. Migration, new-dialect formation and sociolinguistic refunctionalisation: Reallocation as an outcome of dialect contact. Transactions of the Philological Society 97:245–256.Google Scholar
Chambers, J.K. 1975. The Ottawa Valley “twang”. In Canadian English: Origins and structures, ed. Chambers, J.K, 55–59. Toronto: Methuen.Google Scholar
Chambers, J.K. 1991. Canada. In English around the world: Sociolinguistic perspectives, ed. Cheshire, Jenny, 89–107. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Clarke, Sandra. 1991. Phonological variation and recent language change in St. John’s English. In English around the world: Sociolinguistic perspectives, ed. Cheshire, Jenny, 108–122. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Clarke, Sandra. 1997a. The role of Irish English in the formation of New World Englishes: The case of Newfoundland. In Focus on Ireland, ed. Kallen, Jeffrey L., 207–226. Amsterdam: Benjamins.Google Scholar
Clarke, Sandra. 1997b. On establishing historical relationships between New and Old World varieties: Habitual aspect and Newfoundland Vernacular English. In Englishes around the world: Studies in honour of Manfred Görlach, Vol. 1, ed. Schneider, Edgar W., 277–293. Amsterdam: Benjamins.Google Scholar
Cochrane, G.R. 1989. Origins and development of the Australian accent. In Australian English, ed. Collins, Peter and Blair, David, 176–186. St. Lucia: University of Queensland Press.Google Scholar
Cuthbertson, B. 1998. The peoples of Nova Scotia. In Nova Scotia: A colourguide, ed. Poole, Stephen and Kingsbury, Al. Halifax: Formac.Google Scholar
Darot, Mireille, and Pauleau, Christine. 1993. Situation du français en Nouvelle-Calédonie. In Le français dans l’espace francophone, ed. Robillard, Didier and Beniamino, Michel, 283–301. Paris: Champion.Google Scholar
Dobzhansky, T. 1963. Biological evolution in island populations. In Man’s place in the island ecosystem, ed. Frosberg, F.R, 65–74. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press.Google Scholar
Ellis, Alexander. 1889. On early English pronunciation. Vol. 5. London: Trübner.Google Scholar
Emeneau, Murray B. 1975. The dialect of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. In Canadian English: Origins and structures, ed. Chambers, J.K, 34–39. Toronto: Methuen.Google Scholar
Hammarström, Göran. 1980. Australian English: Its origins and status. Hamburg: Buske.Google Scholar
Hollyman, K.J. 1979. Le français en Nouvelle-Calédonie. In Le français hors de France, ed. Valdmann, Albert, 621–629. Paris: Champion.Google Scholar
Horvath, Barbara, and Horvath, Ron. 2001. A geolinguistics of short a in Australian English. In Australian English, ed. Collins, Peter and Blair, David, 341–355. St. Lucia: University of Queensland Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirwin, William. 2001. Newfoundland English. In The Cambridge history of the English language, Vol. 61: English in North America, ed. Algeo, John, 441–445. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kurath, Hans. 1949. A word geography of the eastern United States. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Kurath, Hans, ed. 1939-1943. Linguistic atlas of New England. 3 vols. New York: AMS. Quoted in Bailey 1982.Google Scholar
Kurath, Hans, and McDavid, Raven. 1961. The pronunciation of English in the Atlantic States. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Lanham, Len. 1967. The pronunciation of South African English. Cape Town: Balkema.Google Scholar
Lass, Roger. 1990. Where do extraterritorial Englishes come from? In Papers from the 5th International Conference on English Historical Linguistics, ed. Adamson, Sylvia M, Law, Vivien A, Vincent, Nigel, and Wright, Susan, 245–280. Amsterdam: Benjamins.Google Scholar
Laver, John. 1994. Principles of phonetics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lipski, John. 1994. Latin American Spanish. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Long, Daniel, and Trudgill, Peter. 2004. The last Yankee in the Pacific: Eastern New England phonology in the Bonin Islands. American Speech 79:356–367.Google Scholar
McDavid, Raven. 1985. Dialect areas of the Atlantic seaboard. In American speech: 1600 to the present, ed. Benes, Peter and Benes, Jane Montague, 15–26. Boston: Boston University Scholarly Publications.Google Scholar
McWhorter, John. 2000. The missing Spanish creóles: Recovering the birth of plantation contact languages. Berkeley: University of California Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mattoso Camara, Joaquim. 1972. The Portuguese language. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Morin, Yves-Charles. 1994. Les sources historiques de la prononciation du français du Québec. In Les origines du français québécois, ed. Mougeon, Raymond and Beniak, Edouard, 199–236. Sainte-Foy, QC: Presses de l’Université Laval.Google Scholar
Mougeon, Raymond, and Beniak, Edouard, eds. 1994. Les origines du français québécois. Sainte-Foy, QC: Presses de l’Université Laval.Google Scholar
Mufwene, Salikoko. 2001. The ecology of language evolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ó Baoill, Donali P. 1997. The emerging phonological substratum in Irish English. In Focus on Ireland, ed. Kallen, Jeffrey L., 73–88. Amsterdam: Benjamins.Google Scholar
Paddock, Harold. 1981. A dialect survey of Carbonair, Newfoundland. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press.Google Scholar
Paddock, Harold. 1982. Newfoundland dialects of English. In Languages in Newfoundland and Labrador, ed. Paddock, Harold, 71–89. St John’s: Memorial University of Newfoundland.Google Scholar
Paddock, Harold. 1988. The actuation problem for gender change in Wessex versus Newfoundland. In Historical dialectology: Regional and social, ed. Fisiak, Jacek, 377–395. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.Google Scholar
Pandeli, Helen, Eska, J.F., Ball, Martin, and Rahilly, Joan. 1997. Problems of phonetic transcription: The case of Hiberno-English slit-t. Journal of the International Phonetic Association 27:65–75.Google Scholar
Penny, Ralph. 2000. Variation and change in Spanish. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poirier, Claude. 1994. La langue parlée en Nouvelle-France: vers une convergence des explications. In Les origines du français québécois, ed. Mougeon, Raymond and Beniak, Edouard, 237–274. Sainte-Foy, QC: Presses de l’Université Laval.Google Scholar
Rivard, A. 1914. Études sur les parlers de France au Canada. Quebec: Garneau.Google Scholar
Romaine, Suzanne. 2001. Contact with other languages. In The Cambridge history of the English language, Vol. 6: English in North America, ed. Algeo, John, 154–183. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Sapir, Edward. 1921. Language. New York: Harcourt Brace.Google Scholar
Schreier, Daniel. 2003. Isolation and language change: Sociohistorical and contemporary evidence from Tristan da Cunha English. London: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Schreier, Daniel, and Trudgill, Peter. 2006. The segmental phonology of Tristan da Cunha English. English Language and Linguistics 10:119–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
da Silva Neto, Serafini. 1950. Intodução ao estudo da lingua portuguesa no Brasil. Quoted in Mattoso Camara 1972.Google Scholar
Story, G., Kirwin, William, and Widdowson, J.. 1982. Dictionary of Newfoundland English. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Google Scholar
Sudbury, Andrea. 2000. Dialect contact and koinéisation in the Falkland Islands: Development of a new southern hemisphere English? Doctoral dissertation, University of Essex.Google Scholar
Sudbury, Andrea. 2001. Falklands Island English: A southern hemisphere variety? English World-Wide 22:55–80.Google Scholar
Trudgill, Peter. 1985. Dialect mixture and the analysis of colonial dialects: The case of Canadian raising. In Methods V: Papers from the V International Conference on Methods in Dialectology, ed. Warkentyne, Henry J, 35–46. Victoria, BC: University of Victoria.Google Scholar
Trudgill, Peter. 1986a. Dialects in contact. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Trudgill, Peter. 1986b. The role of Irish English in the formation of colonial Englishes. In Perspectives on the English language in Ireland, ed. Harris, John, Little, David, and Singleton, David, 3–7. Dublin: Centre for Language and Communication Studies, Trinity College.Google Scholar
Trudgill, Peter. 2001. Sociohistorical linguistics and dialect survival: A note on another Nova Scotia enclave. In Language strufture and variation: a festschrift fro Gunnel Melchers, ed. Ljung, M, 193–202. Stockholhm: Almqvist and Wiksell.Google Scholar
Trudgill, Peter. 2004. New-dialect formation: The inevitability of colonial Englishes. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar
Turner, George W. 1994. English in Australia. In The Cambridge history of the English language, Vol. 5: English in Britain and overseas —origins and development, ed. Burchfield, Robert, 277–327. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Wagner, Max. 1920. Amerikansich-Spanissh und Vulgärlatein. Zeitschrift für romanische Philologie 40:286–312, 385-404.Google Scholar
Wall, Arnold. 1938. New Zealand English: How it should be spoken. Auckland: Whitcombe and Tombs.Google Scholar
Wells, John C. 1982. Accents of English. 3 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Wilson, H.R. 1975. Lunenburg Dutch: Fact and folklore. In Canadian English: Origins and structures, ed. Chambers, J.K, 40–44. Toronto: Methuen.Google Scholar