Code written to perform the original research and analysis for a Master's Thesis project in Sociology from North Carolina State University under the direction of Dr. Steve McDonald (Sociology), Dr. Robin Dodsworth (Sociolinguistics), and Dr. Toby Parcel (Sociology).
"Accounting for the role of homophily in the participation in sound change."
ABSTRACT
The social mechanisms that influence the direction of language change operate along the networks of communication (Bloomfield 1933; Labov 2001; Lippi-Green 1989; Milroy and Milroy 1985), however, these mechanisms are underspecified in sociolinguistic work and could thus benefit from the advances made in sociological network theory and analysis. The most prevalent social network mechanism is homophily wherein similar others tend to associate with each other (Lazarsfeld and Merton 1954; McPherson, Smith-Lovin, and Cook 2001). This mechanism operates along dimensions of social distance (Blau 1977a, 1977b) that are relevant in the localized contexts of human activity (Feld 1981, 1982, 1984) such as schools which have their own social ecology defined by the local distribution of social characteristics and moderates the operation of homophily (McFarland et al. 2014). Net of the local context, homophily is predicted to operate on the networks of communication so as to influence the direction language change takes in social space.
This study uses acoustic vowel measurement data from 132 speakers in three geographically contiguous cities (Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, and Altoona) located in northwestern Wisconsin to investigate the role of homophily in structuring the reversal of the Northern Cities Shift – a complex movement of multiple vowels in concert – in this region (Fox 2016). Applying a relational framework wherein all participants are compared to all others along linguistic and social dimensions (McPherson 2004) allows for the testing of whether homophily is operating within and across these communities to structure this reversal.
Modeling results predict (1) similar socio-geographic contexts lead to linguistic similarity; (2) dissimilarity in social ecology leads to greater linguistic dissimilarity as dyads become further apart in age, especially within Chippewa Falls; (3) net of local socio-geographic context and social ecology, similarity in sex and age leads to linguistic similarity and dissimilarity in these dimensions leads to linguistic dissimilarity. These patterns indicate that homophily is operating within local social ecologies in order to structure the form of linguistic change within and between groups.