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Glottal stops and Tyneside glottalization: Competing patterns of variation and change in British English

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

James Milroy ,
Lesley Milroy ,
Sue Hartley  and
David Walshaw
James Milroy
Affiliation:
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Lesley Milroy
Affiliation:
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Sue Hartley
Affiliation:
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
David Walshaw
Affiliation:
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
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Abstract

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Glottalization and glottal replacement (particularly of /t/ in British English) have traditionally been assumed to be variants characteristic of male, lower-class speakers. Both phenomena have been heavily stigmatized, but are spreading rapidly. Recent studies in various parts of the British Isles (including Tyneside) have suggested that glottal replacement of /t/ is led by middle-class and/or female speakers. A fuller understanding of the nature of this linguistic change depends on treating glottalization of /p, t, k/ (a more localized Tyneside feature) and glottal replacement as independent phenomena, rather than as points on a lenition scale corresponding to a social continuum (e.g., casual to careful style). The studies of Tyneside glottalization reported here show that, while females lead in the use of glottal replacement, males prefer glottalization. This pattern is interpreted in terms of a preference of males for localized variants, whereas females lead in adopting supra-local norms.

Type
Research Article
Information
Language Variation and Change , Volume 6 , Issue 3 , October 1994 , pp. 327 - 357
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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