Change from below

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Change from below is linguistic change that occurs from below the level of consciousness. It is language change that occurs from social, cognitive, or physiological pressures from within the system. This is in opposition to change from above, wherein language change is a result of elements imported from other systems. [1] [2]

In Linguistics, change from above refers to conscious change to a language. That is, speakers are generally aware of the linguistic change and use it to sound more dominant. It stands in contrast to change from below.

Contents

Change from below first enters the language from below the level of consciousness; that is, speakers are generally unaware of the linguistic change. [2] These linguistic changes enter language primarily through the vernacular and spread throughout the community without speakers' conscious awareness. Since change from below is initially non-salient, the changing features are not marked characteristics and are difficult for speakers or linguists to perceive. As the changes occur, they will ultimately become stable changes that are stigmatized.

Curvilinear Principle

New linguistic changes that enter the language from below are most commonly used by the interior socioeconomic classes, as displayed by William Labov's curvilinear principle. Change from below is seen in Labov's Philadelphia study, where a series of new vowel changes was most often used by the interior classes. [1] [2] Age and gender similarly affect the way changes occur, where younger or female individuals are more likely to exhibit the change than older or male individuals in the community. [3] However, gender, age, and social class act independently in transmission. [4]

William Labov is an American linguist, widely regarded as the founder of the discipline of variationist sociolinguistics. He has been described as "an enormously original and influential figure who has created much of the methodology" of sociolinguistics. He is a professor emeritus in the linguistics department of the University of Pennsylvania, and pursues research in sociolinguistics, language change, and dialectology. He retired at the end of spring 2014.

In sociolinguistics, the curvilinear principle states that there is a tendency for linguistic change from below to originate from members of the central classes in a speech community's socioeconomic hierarchy, rather than from the outermost or exterior classes.

The Roles of Women and Conformity

Change from below challenges societal norms; women (especially upper working class women, and those who are socially entrenched and involved in their community) lead this linguistic change. However, forms that have overt prestige are more prized by these groups, so when changes from below rise to the level of awareness, they are frequently stigmatized and rejected by the very people using them. [3]

Prestige is the level of regard normally accorded a specific language or dialect within a speech community, relative to other languages or dialects. The concept of prestige in sociolinguistics provides one explanation for the phenomenon of variation in form, among speakers of a language or languages. Prestige varieties are those varieties which are generally considered, by a society, to be the most "correct" or otherwise superior variety. The prestige variety, in many cases, is the standard form of the language though there are exceptions, particularly in situations of covert prestige where a non-standard dialect is highly valued.

Change from below typically begins in informal speech. Often, those utilizing the changing forms are young speakers using the language as a form of resistance to authority. The changes made by individuals such as these, who are upwardly mobile and intentionally nonconformist, then diffuse into the speech of broader groups as described by Bill Labov’s Constructive Nonconformity Principle. [3]

Three Phases of Change

Transmission

The first phase of change from below is the acquisition of language by children. Typically, children learn the patterns of female caretakers. [4]

Incrementation

The second phase of change from below is the advancement of informal changes by young individuals. [4]

Stabilization

The third phase of change from below sees the individual’s speech shift towards more standard forms, and the change become socioeconomically diffused and stigmatized. [4]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 Labov, William. "Transmission and Diffusion". Language. Volume 83, Number 2, June 2007, 344–387. Linguistic Society of America.
  2. 1 2 3 Ash, Sharon. "Social Class". The Handbook of Language Variation and Change, 402–422. Malden, Mass: Blackwell.
  3. 1 2 3 William, Labov (2001). Principles of linguistic change, Volume 2: Social Factors. Blackwell.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Michael, Lev. "Social Dimensions of Language Change" (PDF). Berkeley Linguistics. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
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