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Prestige, accommodation, and the legacy of relative who

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 May 2010

Alexandra D'Arcy  and
Sali A. Tagliamonte
Alexandra D'Arcy
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, University of Victoria, PO Box 3045, Victoria, BC V8W 3P4, [email protected]
Sali A. Tagliamonte
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, University of Toronto, Sidney Smith Hall, 4th floor, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, [email protected]
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Abstract

This article presents a quantitative variationist analysis of the English restrictive relative pronouns. However, where previous research has largely focused on language-internal explanations for variant choice, the focus here is the social meaning of this erstwhile syntactic variable. We uncover rich sociolinguistic embedding of the relative pronouns in standard, urban speech. The only productive wh- form is who, which continues to pattern as a prestige form centuries after its linguistic specialization as a human subject relative. This legacy of prestige is reflected not only in the social characteristics of those with whom it is associated, but also in the patterns of accommodation that are visible in its use. These findings simultaneously demonstrate the tenacious nature of social meaning and the enduring effects of grammatical ideology, both of which influence pronoun choice in the context of face-to-face interaction. (Restrictive relative pronouns, who, change from above, age-grading, prestige, accommodation)*

Type
Articles
Information
Language in Society , Volume 39 , Issue 3 , June 2010 , pp. 383 - 410
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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