James Milroy: Some new perspectives on sound change: sociolinguistics and the Neogrammarians.

146-160.

Answer the following questions using the book and other sources.

Why does Milroy say that sound change appers to have no “obvious function or

rational motivation” (146)?

Sound change doesn’t appear to have an obvious function because sounds such as i and e appear to be very similiar when spoken aloud yet when changed form entirely different meanings.

What is/are the main difference/s between Milroy’s approach and that of the

Neogrammarians (147-148)?

Neogrammarians believe that sound change is phonetically gradual but lexically abrupt and so the change from middle english to is believed to be quick but gradual. Milroy however, does not believe that this process is a plausable reason for sound change.

Neogrammarians will often depend on old records and journals of language instead of taking note of how language is changing in todays society. They are therfore unable to identify whether sound change has been impletmented in a manner which is phonetically gradual. They view language change to be ´non social´.

Milroy believes that it is the regional dialects of a language which change as oppose to the language itself. Milroy is interested in how the lexical varieties from regional dialects suceeds in becoming standardised language which the Neogrammarians would study. He and other sociolinguists are interested in how to develop methods of analysising these variable states.

According to Milroy, what is language change dependent on?

(149?)

Language change is dependent on constant studying of language maintanence .

Why does Milroy say that sound change actually doesn’t exist (150)?

Milroy believes that sound doesnt phisically change and sounds are infact replaced with an other sound.

Why does Milroy disagree with the Neogrammarians when they say that sound

change is “blind” (150)?

He disagrees with the notion that sound change is blind because he thinks that people change a language rather than the language changing. He also disagrees that sound change is phonetically gradual but rather socially gradua land for this reason cannot be cam’t see.

What is meant by “lexical diffusion” (151)?

What does dialect displacement mean? Give an example.

(152)

What are “community” or “vernacular” norms?

What term that we have used in class

is similar (152)?

What does Milroy mean when he says that h-dropping may not ever reach

“completion” (153)?

Explain what Milroy means by “speaker innovation” and change in the system. How

are they connected (153)?

Why isn’t borrowing from one language to another and the replacement of one

sound by another through speaker innovation with a language as radically different

as the Neogrammarians posited (154-6)?

What is necessary for a sound to spread (157)?

Why does believing in the ideology of standardization lead to believing in “blind

necessity” (158)?

What does Milroy mean by “clean” and “dirty” data (158)?