The Northern Cities Shift in Chicago

Abstract

This article examines the status of the Northern Cities Shift (NCS) as a change in progress in Chicago, the largest city within the Inland North. The progression of the NCS in Chicago and its social implementation have never been fully explored. Labov, Ash, and Boberg (2006) report that, for the Inland North as a whole, the NCS remains a vigorous change in progress. The present study finds only limited support for ongoing shifting within Chicago. Acoustic data from thirty-six speakers indicate that none of the three earliest shifting events, BAT, BOT, and BOUGHT, continues to shift in the expected direction in apparent time. Instead, BOT shows a marginal trend toward reversal of the NCS pattern. The three remaining vowels, BET, BIT, and BUT, shift in the expected direction. However, extensive phonetic overlap between BUT and BOUGHT is problematic for the NCS model as a single, integrated chain shift.