Language Variation Research Articles

Potential objects and transitivity variations: A comparable corpus-driven study of Mandarin Chinese Verb-Object compounds

This study proposes a new approach to the transitivity variation of the Mandarin Verb-Object (VO) compound by focusing on the role of the potential objects instead of the incorporated object. This new approach highlights the interactions between language change and variation. Previous approaches to the transitivity variation of VO compounds, especially Mandarin Chinese VO compounds, have typically focused on the purported blocking effect of the incorporated object (O). Recent corpus-driven studies, however, have attested that Mandarin VO compounds can take objects. This study compared clausal contexts in two Chinese varieties when VO compounds take direct objects and showed that the same noun phrase tends to require a context of higher transitivity to function as a direct object in the Mainland variety, complementing the previously established tendencies that Taiwan Verb-Object compounds have higher object-taking abilities. Both changes and variations can be interpreted as lexical constructionalization, supplemented with insights from noun incorporation and lexical diffusion. Argument advancement after compound formation represents lexical constructionalization, motivated by a tendency to encode transitivity with less compositionality. The contrasting contextual and lexical transitivity trends in the two varieties support the shifting encoding of transitivity generalization, illustrating different stages of lexical constructionalization.

“Saying ‘thank you’ or something more than lip service”: a variational analysis of the influence of gender and social status on responses to congratulations on Chinese WeChat

Abstract Existing studies on responses to congratulations to date have displayed a general culturally-bound finding that Chinese speakers prefer to take a detour approach. However, the effect of social constraints on response strategies have not received the attention it deserves. Drawing on a variational pragmatic approach, this study explores the constraints of gender and social status on the pragmatic variation of Chinese WeChat users’ responses to congratulations. Building upon an integrative data set of congratulatory interactions in actual online messages, the findings suggest that gender and social status overlap in complex ways, but with a clear tendency: both men and women significantly tend towards an acceptance strategy when responding to congratulations on WeChat, while social status influences the sub-strategies used in accepting congratulations across both male and female groups. The findings challenge previous stereotypes about Chinese language variation in responses to congratulations. The current results suggest that Chinese speakers have already made a transition from following the Modesty Maxim to using the Agreement Maxim, and have also incorporated the Obligation Maxim. Chinese speakers also consider rapport and reciprocity when responding to kind congratulatory remarks.

Explaining the Dynamics and Stability of Dialects: A Representational Approach

Abstract In this article, the focus is on the pivotal role of speakers in shaping language dynamics and dialectal stability, particularly within the context of dialectal variation. It is evident that language is intricately tied to human experience, serving as a tool for navigation, problem-solving, and social interaction. This article posits that understanding the interplay between language dynamics and stability of dialects requires a nuanced consideration of speakers and their practical relationships with the world as well as their linguistic mental representations. People are not passive recipients of language; rather, they actively engage with it in various contexts, adapting to new situations and influencing linguistic change. Through empirical examples from German dialectology, the article illustrates how speakers’ interactions with their environment shape language evolution. Overall, the article aims to provide insight into the role of speakers in driving linguistic change and maintaining linguistic conventions within dialectal contexts. By examining the practical relationships between speakers and their environment, it contributes to the development of a comprehensive framework for understanding the complexities of language variation and evolution considering linguistic representations.

Toronto Heritage Italian (r): Maintaining homeland patterns

Contrary to experimental research, comparative variationist approaches find for heritage speakers many cases of maintenance of the homeland grammar. We analyze patterns of rhotic production in spontaneous speech of the heritage Calabrese Italian community of Toronto, Canada, and its homeland counterpart in Calabria, Italy. 1,555 tokens of word-internal, singleton /r/ were collected from the HLVC corpus and analyzed using mixed-effects models. Results show an ongoing pattern of lenition for both homeland and heritage speakers. Heritage speakers further develop this language internal trend, indicating grammar boosting. Homeland social constraints are maintained by heritage speakers. We find no evidence of transfer from English or simplification in the heritage language. Similar patterns of rhotic lenition are found in heritage Tagalog (Umbal & Nagy 2021) and Russian (Nagy 2024), though with different social constraints. Cross-linguistic comparison proves that variation in heritage languages is not necessarily caused by contact, and that change needn’t be related to indexicality.

A comparison of Heritage vs Homeland Taiwanese Mandarin speaker attitudes towards sajiao

This study investigates the language attitudes and perceptions of Taiwanese Mandarin heritage and homeland listeners towards the use of sajiao, a stylized speech type, in two varieties of Mandarin. A matched guise experiment was conducted via Qualtrics with heritage listeners from the United States (n = 6) and homeland listeners from Taiwan (n = 7). Participants listened to a recording and rated their perceived social constructions of the speakers in terms of their cuteness, pleasantness, femininity, masculinity, and professionalism on a scale from one to seven. In total, participants listened to 130 recordings, 64 target and 66 filler, of 4 different sentences with both sajiao and non-sajiao forms. We find that heritage speakers pattern similarly to homeland speakers, although not to the same extent. This positions heritage speakers in their own category, where they have acquired the social associations with this specialized speech style, but not to the same degree as homeland speakers. This research sheds new light on heritage language socialization and perceptions of language variation, namely regarding two varieties of Mandarin and speech style. Further research is needed to investigate how Beijing Mandarin heritage speakers would perform in this same task.

Exploring diverse educators’ language ideologies: how lived experiences shape understandings of bilingual education goals

ABSTRACT This study explores the ways diverse educators’ lived experiences shape their understanding of dual language bilingual education (DLBE) goals, responding to calls for research to better understand how educator ideologies impact the equitable implementation of program goals. This qualitative case study highlights the voices of DLBE educators who identify as transnational, Latinx and African American and includes data from classroom observations, interviews, focus groups and pláticas. We offer a conceptual framework that reveals how ideologies related to language acquisition, status, and variation are impacted by teachers’ prior schooling/teaching, institutional positioning and understandings of racialization and cultural identity – sociocultural factors that are co-constructed across micro and macro-level discourse. Our findings suggest that through teaching in DLBE programs and reflecting upon their lived experiences, educators’ ideologies are constantly developing and can shift to foreground equity and center multilingual learners in DLBE programs. Our study has implications for teacher education and professional development that recognizes educators’ diverse experiences (e.g. transnational and/or lived experiences related to race/ethnicity and institutional positioning) to support the ongoing development of ideological clarity that has bearing on the realization of DLBE goals in the pursuit of equity.

Perubahan Bunyi Bahasa Proto Austronesia ke dalam Bahasa Melayu Riau Dialek Pasir Pengaraian

Riau Malay has language variations generating various dialects, including Pasir Pengaraian dialect, which reflects sound differences. To understand the characteristics of the dialect, it is necessary to analyze the sound changes from Proto Austronesian into Pasir Pengaraian Riau Malay dialect. The purpose of this research was first, to identify the sound changes of Proto Austronesian language into Riau Malay dialect of Pasir Pengaraian using Keraf's theory and second, to analyze the meaning changes that occur due to sound changes using Crowley & Bowern's theory. This research belonged to qualitative-descriptive research exploring thoroughly how sound changes from Proto Austronesian languages occured in detail and how these changes affect the meaning of words in cultural and social contexts which were then explained and described systematically. The data collection method used was interview method with listening technique, note-taking technique and recording technique by referring to the list of 200 Swadesh vocabularies. The results of the research obtained that (1) the types of sound changes of Proto Austronesian language into Riau Malay language were assimilation (progressive assimilation and palatalization), metathesis, afferesis, syncope, apocope, prothesis, epenthesis, paragogue, and monoftongization. (2) meaning changes that occur were pejoration, broadening, narrowing, and bifurcation.

Digital Evolution: Exploring the Impact of Social Media on Local Dialects and Lexicon; An Examination of Central Kurdish Language

This study suggests a digital linguistic approach to multi-mediated communication (MMC), drawing on a case study of language variation on social media. In the early 21st century, social media (SM) has significantly impacted various aspects of human life, including language, as articulated within the theoretical framework of digital linguistics and language variation. This study explores the influence of SM on Kurdish local dialects in Iraqi Kurdistan, with a focus on vocabulary evolution and the ongoing challenge of dialect standardization. Given the high unemployment rates in Iraq, which have led to increased SM engagement, this research examines how these platforms affect dialect usage across diverse demographic groups. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study integrates qualitative content analysis and quantitative surveys to assess SM's role in shaping linguistic practices. Findings reveal thatolder generations are more likely to maintain traditional dialects, while younger users increasingly adopt standardized Kurdish forms. The study highlights SM's dual impact: promoting linguistic convergence while posing risks to dialectal diversity. It emphasizes the need for a balanced approach that supports regional dialects alongside the benefits of standardization, advocating for strategic initiatives to preserve linguistic heritage while adapting to digital influences.

Editorial: Complexity in language variation and change

Editorial: Complexity in language variation and change

Prescriptivist attempts at a spelling reform in Early Modern English: sociolinguistic and stylistic routes and rates of adoption

ABSTRACT Some late Renaissance scholars, like Smith (1568); Hart (1569; 1570); Bullokar (1580); Mulcaster (1582), attempted to reform English spelling to reflect the pronunciation changes resulting from the Great Vowel Shift. Their goal was to align letters and phonology by devising a more stable and predictable new system. This study explores the impact and diffusion of these spelling proposals. It examines texts from 1300 to 1700, written by authors from different socio-demographic and biological backgrounds, and across various genres, registers and text-types. The sources used as linguistic materials are the Innsbruck Corpus of Middle English Prose, an archival data source of prose pieces representing different genres from 1150 to 1500 and the Parsed Corpus of Early English Correspondence, a collection of 4,970 authored documents written from 1410 to 1681 by informants from different social ranks. This study may allow us to trace the sociolinguistic and stylistic route and rate of adoption (if any) followed by these attempts at reforming the English spelling system within processes of diffusion of linguistic innovations at the level of orthography, as well as to reconstruct the sociolinguistic contexts of language variation and change in past communities.

Landscape Linguistics: Language Variations in Pantai Panjang Bengkulu

Language in the public space describes the linguistic phenomenon of the environment where language is found. An outdoor sign in a public space represents the language the surrounding community uses. The presence of an outdoor sign in an area depends on the status of the area. An area or place can have many space marks, while there are few or none in other areas. This indicates that the sign is part of the character of a place or region. The study investigates the language variation in outdoor signs in Pantai Panjang Bengkulu. Pantai Panjang Bengkulu is a tourist destination beach located in Bengkulu Province. Additionally, Bengkulu Province has six languages with nine dialects, which makes Bengkulu a multilingual society, prosperous in language variations. The study is qualitative; the data collection technique uses observation, while the analysis uses a content analysis technique. The resulting study showed that from 1290 outdoor signs in Pantai Panjang Bengkulu. The medium of the signs is a written medium divided into 13 medium types and the medium mostly used is a billboard. Meanwhile, the formal language is the dominant formality variation in Pantai Panjang Bengkulu. Furthermore, the language functions in this area are symbolic and informative.

Dental sedation permit requirements for physician anesthesiologists in the United States and the European Union: a review

Purpose of review This review addresses the dental sedation permit requirements for physician anesthesiologists in the United States and the European Union (EU). The regulatory landscape for office-based anesthesia, including dental settings, is often described as the ‘Wild West’ of patient safety, making it crucial to outline the similarities and differences in dental anesthesia regulations and offer practical guidelines for regulators. Recent findings There is virtually no literature that addresses the issue of dental sedation permits for physicians. By summarizing the variation in language and terminology from state to state, this review highlights the inconsistencies and gaps in dental regulations. The review also highlights the limited specific guidance on the permit process for physicians administering dental anesthesia. Summary By comparing dental anesthesia regulations and guidelines across all U.S. states and the EU, the review aims to offer practical guidelines for regulators to institute an oversight process that is fair to physician anesthesiologists and does not impede their ability to practice in the dental office setting. This framework for credentialing and permitting physicians in dental office-based anesthesia settings is informed by existing safety recommendations and best practices.

Dialek Sosial Masyarakat Bugis-Makassar Kelurahan Minasa Upa Kecamatan Rappocini Kota Makassar

Language and society are very closely related, this relationship includes age and social status which mutually influence language, voice color and accent for each language speaker. Sociolect (from the words social and dialect) or social dialect is a language variation associated with a particular social group. Sociolect occurs in various groups of society according to social class, age and occupation. Language differences between upper class and lower class society, teenagers and old people, doctors and lawyers, are examples of social dialect. This research aims to describe the use of sociolectic language variations in communication between the Bugis-Makassar community, Minasa Upa Village, Rappocini District, Makassar City. The data in this research are all everyday language utterances in communication that are identified as using sociolect. Meanwhile, the data source used is the Bugis-Makassar community who live in Minasa Upa Village, Rappocini District, Makassar City. Data collection techniques include; observation techniques, recording techniques and note-taking techniques. The data analysis technique is carried out in an interpretative descriptive manner, namely data that has been collected on a device, listened to and recorded, then identified and analyzed in depth by sorting and selecting information according to the research focus, namely the various forms of sociolect in communication among the Bugis-Makassar community. Based on the results of the research, the researchers found 16 data on sociolectic language variations, especially conversations in terms of age level, nobility level, and education level, with details of 8 data variations of colloquial language, 2 data variations of slang language, and 6 data variations of vulgar language.

Mother Tongue-based Education in a Diverse Society and the Acquisition of Foundational Skills: Evidence from the Philippines

The Philippines is an ethnolinguistically diverse country with 180 languages spoken. In 2012, the government massively expanded the language of instruction (LoI) options, a shift from a bilingual Filipino-English education to mother tongue-based education using 19 languages targeting students in kindergarten to grade 3. The policy intended to create a closer link between the school instructional language and students’ mother tongue in the early stage of formal schooling, which would improve foundational skills and increase the students’ ability to acquire proficiency in additional languages. We use nationally representative data to evaluate the policy's impact on foundational reading and mathematics skills, exploiting a variation between student cohorts and the variation in the instructional languages before and after the policy. We find that the policy reduced the mean linguistic distance between children's mother tongue and school LoI by between 43% to 76%. However, we find a statistically significant and negative effect on foundational reading skills when tested in Filipino or English. The magnitude is not negligible given the Philippines’ flat learning profiles. We find the policy also negatively impacted the foundational mathematics skills of the first cohort fully exposed to the policy. Our findings imply that governments need to reconsider the mother tongue-based education policy as a tool to improve foundational skills in a diverse society.

DIFFERENT VARIATIONS OF TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE ACTIVITIES AND THEIR BENEFITS IN TEACHING LANGUAGE

Total Physical Response (TPR) is a dynamic language teaching method that combines physical movement with verbal input to enhance language acquisition. This article examines various TPR activities, such as commands, storytelling, role-playing, and games, which engage students physically while they learn. These activities accommodate diverse learning styles, benefiting kinesthetic learners who excel with movement. The article emphasizes TPR's effectiveness in improving vocabulary retention, listening skills, and engagement. By linking actions to the language being taught, TPR reduces anxiety, creating a more enjoyable and less intimidating learning environment. Variations like group commands and interactive storytelling offer flexibility for different age groups and proficiency levels, making TPR a versatile method. Additionally, TPR promotes natural language acquisition by mirroring how children learn their first language—through listening and physical response before speaking. The article concludes that incorporating diverse TPR activities accelerates learning and fosters a dynamic, inclusive classroom atmosphere.

A Study on Internet Interactive Language Variations from the Perspective of Schema Theory

Language variation is a common phenomenon of language evolution in online interactive communication. Based on schema theory, this paper explores the forms, reasons, features and ritual functions of language variations in the context of Internet interaction. This study finds that the forms of Internet language variations are mainly embodied in: phonetic variation, semantic variation and grammatical variation, characterized by four rituals: cooperation, pluralism, universality and alignment. Internet language variations contribute to the construction of identity, relationship and order in communication. Through a systematic study of Internet language variations, this paper aims to provide some enlightenment for the ritual turn of pragmatics and the study of network linguistics from the perspective of cognitive linguistics.

Collective Translation as Forking (分岔)

Together with a Taiwanese working group, we have been producing a Chinese translation of Aesthetic Programming: A Handbook of Software Studies, a free and open source book first written by Winnie Soon and Geoff Cox in 2020, and released in English in a git repository, dynamic website, downloadable PDF and printed form. Apart from learning to code in p5.js, the book addresses the cultural and aesthetic dimensions of programming from its insides, as a means to think and act critically, and to understand the importance of programming as a cultural practice that can develop discussion of issues that are relatively under-acknowledged in technical subjects such as gender, race and sexuality. Importantly, the book is understood as a computational object, not released as a fixed and universal teaching resource, but rather a situated curriculum with the potential for extension and customization with other arts and coding communities. The use of Git has allowed the authors to formalize its production as an iterative process, allowing for reversioning and for others to fork a copy and customize with different references, examples, critical reflections and even new chapters. The interest is in forking a book like forking software, and incorporating local knowledge and examples, and how this resonates with a politics of cultural translation. This essay will elaborate on the process of running two open participatory workshops that were conducted in Taipei and London (in 2023) with the aim to challenge some of the normative social relations of production associated with translation, and explore other possibilities of collective practice. The politics of translation has been well-established in general, but what of the specifics of translating a book such as this? Aside from the technical and aesthetic challenges and implications, this raises the question of how the Chinese language model enforces particular hegemonic worldviews that occlude differences. With all the variants of Chinese language, how is this tied to expressions of colonial power that resonates with our use of English? Given the rich variations of Chinese and indigenous languages (not least in a Taiwanese context), we are curious how we might be sensitive to language diversity that challenges the Western-centrism of programming in English (and inherent nationalisms). We are also mindful of the way that “queer” politics has informed the way that terms can be appropriated/expropriated, as a means to “talk back” to the source codes of oppression. What are the implications of drawing the practices of forking and translating together?

Introduction to the Forum: Native Language, Dialect, and Foreign Accent in Dysarthria.

This timely collection is an international effort to serve as a foundation to encourage research that offers insights into the interaction between language variation and motor speech disorders. Specifically, this forum aimed to provide a platform that (a) explores and demonstrates the role of language variation in the manifestation of dysarthria, (b) considers language variation in clinical assessment and management, and (c) promotes awareness of diverse language backgrounds of people with dysarthria. The forum contains six articles, spanning a variety of research designs (cross-sectional, pre- and post-treatment), kinds of articles (tutorial, research article, commentary), and a range of languages from around the world (English, French, Korean Portuguese, Spanish).

Voter Support for Policies Associated With Child Health as National Campaign Priorities

Policies that are associated with child health are rarely included in platforms of candidates for national political office. Candidates may underrecognize voter support for such priorities or perceive that such policy issues are not sufficiently divisive to appeal to partisan voters. Key policy questions associated with child health may be considered by the next Congress, including the consistency of Medicaid coverage across states and restoring the recently lapsed refundable child tax credit. To examine voter support for candidates regarding policies that are associated with child health. This nationally representative survey of registered US voters 18 years or older was conducted from March to April 2024 and included a survey-based randomized experiment to evaluate the association of message framing with voter support. Messages conveying distinct rationales for Medicaid reform and refundable child tax credit. Likely or definite support for candidates. In this sample (unweighted N = 2014; 1015 women [51.0%]), most respondents indicated they would likely or definitely vote for candidates who expressed strong support for all tested policies: extreme risk protection order (79.5%), school threat assessment (73.1%), expanded childcare (69.6%), refundable child tax credit (66.6%), federalization of Medicaid (66.0%), paid parental leave (65.5%), free school meals (65.6%), safe firearm storage and enforcement (62.9%), preventing Medicaid disenrollment for children younger than 6 years (61.9%), universal free preschool (61.6%), and summer nutrition programs (57.9%). More women than men expressed support for all tested policies. Strong majorities of Democrat and Independent voters would support candidates who endorsed child-focused policies; fewer than 50% of Republican voters expressed such support, except for the extreme risk protection order and school threat assessment. Variations in framing language regarding consistent Medicaid coverage across states were not associated with amplified or diminished voter support. Framing the refundable child tax credit as benefiting "hard-working" vs "low-income" families garnered significantly more support among men (67.0% vs 59.0%), privately insured individuals (72.0% vs 64.4%), and Republicans (54.6% vs 43.0%; all P < .05). The study results suggest that most voters favor candidates who strongly support policies that are associated with child health. Voter support differs substantively by gender and political party affiliation and may be associated with language choices in messaging about policy change.

Informasi di Balik Pemerolehan Bahasa Anak: Sebuah Tinjauan Mendalam

This research aims to explain that language acquisition refers to the process in which individuals acquire the ability to use and understand language. This process generally begins at an early age and continues throughout life. Children experience rapid language acquisition through interaction with the surrounding environment, while at older ages, language acquisition involves formal learning and exposure to language variations. Language acquisition involves several stages, including understanding phonology (sounds of language), morphology (word structure), syntax (sentence structure), semantics (meaning of words and sentences), and pragmatics (use of language in social contexts). Genetic and environmental factors play an important role in language acquisition, and each individual experiences unique language development. It is important to note that language acquisition is not only about understanding linguistic structures, but also about using language in communicative situations. This process involves complex interactions between the cognitive, social, and emotional aspects of the individual. Language acquisition is a fundamental ability that supports human communication and plays a role in overall cognitive development.