Cover not available
Part of
Language Variation - European Perspectives VII: Selected papers from the Ninth International Conference on Language Variation in Europe (ICLaVE 9), Malaga, June 2017
Edited by Juan-Andrés Villena-Ponsoda, Francisco Díaz Montesinos, Antonio Manuel Ávila-Muñoz and Matilde Vida-Castro
[Studies in Language Variation 22] 2019
► pp. 85–102

Chapter 5
Language change caught in the act

A case study of Frisian relative pronouns

| Fryske Akademy, Leeuwarden, Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning
| Fryske Akademy, Leeuwarden
| Radboud University, Nijmegen
| Radboud University, Nijmegen
| Radboud University, Nijmegen
| Fryske Akademy, Leeuwarden

This study investigates language change in Frisian relative pronouns in a corpus of Frisian radio broadcasts (1966–2015). In spite of the limitations of this corpus, we were able to catch language change in the act. The analyses show that until the 1980s the younger speakers in these broadcasts lead the rise of t-full relative pronouns, a change that was first observed in literature at the end of the 19th century. From the 1980s onwards the new younger generation reversed this change and increasingly started using the t-less relative pronouns. Additionally, the increase of t-less forms occurred mostly in non-scripted, spontaneous speech. It does not seem to play a role whether the speaker is a presenter or an interviewee/guest.

Keywords: Audience Design, scriptedness, Frisian, relative pronouns, t-deletion, radio, language change, real time, apparent time
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Omrop fryslân
  • 3.Frisian in the Netherlands
  • 4.Relative pronouns
  • 5.Method
    • 5.1The data
    • 5.2Procedure
    • 5.3Analysis
  • 6.Results
  • 7.Discussion
  • 8.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 12 December 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/silv.22.05dij
References
Amino, Kanae and Takashi Osanai
2014 Native vs. Non-native accent identification using Japanese spoken telephone numbers. Speech Communication 56. 70–81. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Barbiers, S., H. Bennis, G. De Vogelaer, G., M. Devos and M. van der Ham
2006 Dynamische syntactische Atlas van de Nederlandse Dialecten (DynaSAND). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Meertens Institute. Retrieved from [URL], accessed June 30, 2018.
Bell, Allan
1982 Radio: The style of news language. Journal of Communication 32 (1). 150–164. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
1984 Language style as audience design. Language in Society 13 (2). 145–204. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
1999 Styling the other to define the self: A study in New Zealand identity making. Journal of Sociolinguistics 3/4. 523–541. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
2001 Back in style: Reworking audience design. In Penelope Eckert and John R. Rickford (eds.), Style and sociolinguistic variation, 139–169. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bell, Allan and Gary Johnson
1997 Towards a sociolinguistic style. University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics 4 (1). 1–22.Google Scholar
Bloemhof, Henk, Germen de Haan and Arjen P. Versloot
(2013) Language varieties in the province of Fryslân. In Frans Hinskens and Johan Taeldeman (eds.), Language and space. An international handbook of linguistic variation. Volume 3: Dutch, 721–738. Berlin-Boston: de Gruyter.Google Scholar
Brouwer, J. H.
1959 Mei té of sûnder té [With /t/ or without /t/]. De Pompebledden 30. 62–64.Google Scholar
Christensen, Rune Haubo B.
2015 Ordinal – regression models for ordinal data. R package version 2015.6–28. Retrieved from [URL].
Coupland, Nikolas
1985 Hark, Hark, the Lark: Social motivations for phonological syle-shifting. Language and Communication 5 (3). 153–471. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
2001 Dialect stylization in radio talk. Language in Society 30. 345–375. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cucchiarini, Catia, Helmer Strik and Lou Boves
2002 Quantitative assessment of second language learners’ fluency: Comparisons between read and spontaneous speech. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 111 (6). 2862–2873. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cutillas-Espinosa, Juan Antonio and Juan Manuel Hernández-Campoy
2006 Nonresponsive performance in radio broadcasting: A case study. Language Variation and Change 18. 317–330. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cutillas-Espinosa, Juan Antonio, Juan Manuel Hernández-Campoy and Natalie Schilling-Estes
2010 Hypervernacularisation and speaker design: A case study. Folia Linguistica 44 (1). 31–52. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
De Haan, Germen J.
1997 Contact-induced changes in modern West Frisian. Us Wurk 46. 61–89.Google Scholar
2001 Grammar of modern West-Frisian. Groningen: University of Groningen.Google Scholar
Dellwo, Volker, Adrian Leemann and Marie-José Kolly
2015 The recognition of read and spontaneous speech in local vernacular: The case of Zurich German. Journal of Phonetics 48. 13–28. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Evans Wagner, Suzanne and Isabelle Buchstaller
(eds..) 2017 Panel studies of variation and change. New York: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fokkema, K
1948 Beknopte Friese Spraakkunst [Concise Frisian Grammar]. Groningen: J.B. Wolters.Google Scholar
1967 Beknopte Friese Spraakkunst [Concise Frisian Grammar] 2nd edition. Groningen: J.B. Wolters.Google Scholar
Hernández-Campoy, J. M. and J. A. Cutillas-Espinosa
2010 Speaker design practices in political discourse: A case study. Language and Communication 30. 297–309. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hernández-Campoy, Juan Manuel and Juan Antonio Cutillas-Espinosa
(eds.) 2012 Style-shifting in public. New perspectives on stylistic variation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hernández-Campoy, Juan-Manuel and José María Jiménez-Cano
2003 Broadcasting standardisation: An analysis of the linguistic normalisation process in Murcian Spanish. Journal of Sociolinguistics 7. 321–347. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hoekstra, Jarich
2002 Relativisation in Frisian. In Patricia Poussa (ed.), Relativisation on the North Sea Littoral, 63–76. Muenchen: Lincom Europa.Google Scholar
Labov, William
2001 Principles of linguistic change, Vol 2: Social factors. Malden, MA: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Levin, Harry, Carole A. Schaffer and Catherine Snow
1982 The prosodic and paralinguistic features of reading and telling stories. Language and Speech 25 (1). 43–54. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Popkema, J
2006 Grammatica Fries [Grammar Frisian]. Houten: Het Spectrum.Google Scholar
Postma, G. and P. de Clerq
1904 Lytse Fryske Spraekleare [Concise Frisian Grammar]. Leeuwarden: R. van der Velde.Google Scholar
Provinsje Fryslân
2015 De Fryske Taalatlas [The Frisian Language Atlas]. Ljouwert: Provinsje Fryslân.Google Scholar
Schilling-Estes, Natalie
1998 Investigating “self-conscious” speech: The performance register in Ocracoke English. Language in Society 27 (1). 53–83. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
2002 Investigating stylistic variation. In J. K. Chambers, P. Trudgill and N. Schilling-Estes (eds.), The handbook of language variation and change, 375–401. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
Skiednis Omrop Fryslân [History Omrop Fryslân] n.d. Omrop Fryslân
Retrieved from [URL], accessed June 30, 2018.
Sipma, P
1949 Ta it Frysk III [On Frisian III]. Leeuwarden: R. van der Velde.Google Scholar
Statline
Retrieved from [URL]
Sytstra, O. H. and J. J. Hof
1925 Nieuwe Friesche spraakkunst [New Frisian grammar]. Leeuwarden: R. van der Velde.Google Scholar
Taalportaal | Relative pronouns [Language Portal | Relative pronouns]
2018 Taalportaal [Language Portal]. Retrieved from [URL], accessed June 30, 2018.
Tiersma, Pieter Meijes
1999 Frisian reference grammar. 2nd edition. Leeuwarden: Fryske Akademy.Google Scholar
Tolsma, Rein
(ed.) 2009 Stylboek Omrop Fryslân [Style Book Omrop Fryslân]. Ljouwert: Omrop Fryslân.Google Scholar
Van Blom, Ph
1889 Beknopte Friesche Spraakkunst voor den tegenwoordigen tijd [Concise Frisian Grammar for the present time]. Joure: Zijlstra.Google Scholar
Van Coetsem, Fr
1960 De Friese relative en conjuncties met ’t [The Frisian relative pronouns and conjunctions with ’t]. In K. Dykstra, K. Heeroma, W. Kok and H. T. J. Miedema (eds.), Fryske Stúdzjes: Fryske Stúdzjes oanbean oan Prof. Dr. J.H. Brouwer op syn sechstichste jierdei 23 augustus 1960 [Frisian Studies, Frisian studies offered to Prof. Dr. J.H. Brouwer at his sixtieth birthday 23 August 1960], 327–334. Assen: Van Gorcum.Google Scholar
Van de Velde, Hans, Roeland van Hout and Marinel Gerritsen
1997 Watching Dutch change: Real time study of variation and change in standard Dutch pronunciation. Journal of Sociolinguistics 1 (3). 361–391. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Van der Meer, Geart
1991 The subclause signal ’t in Frisian. Its origin and function. Leuvense Bijdragen 80. 43–59.Google Scholar
Van der Woude, G
1960 Oer it gebrûk fan ’t by bynwurden [On the use of ’t in conjunctions]. In K. Dykstra, K. Heeroma, W. Kok and H. T. J. Miedema (eds.), Fryske Stúdzjes: Fryske Stúdzjes oanbean oan Prof. Dr. J.H. Brouwer op syn sechstichste jierdei 23 augustus 1960 [Frisian studies. Frisian studies offered to Prof. Dr. J.H. Brouwer at his sixtieth birthday 23 August 1960], 335–343. Assen: Van Gorcum.Google Scholar
Van Maastricht, Lieke, Emiel Krahmer and Marc Swerts
2016 Native speaker perceptions of (non–)native prominence patterns: Effects of deviance in pitch accent distributions on accentedness, comprehensibility, intelligibility and nativeness. Speech Communication 83. 21–33. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Vieru, Bianca, Philippe Boula de Mareüil and Martine Adda-Decker
2011 Characterisation and identification of non-native French accents. Speech Communication 53 (3). 292–310. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wet Gebruik Friese Taal [Law use Frisian language]
2014 Overheid [Government]. Retrieved from [URL]
Yılmaz, Emre, Henk van den Heuvel, Jelske Dijkstra, Hans Van de Velde, Frederik Kampstra, Jouke Algra and David van Leeuwen
2016 Open source speech and language resources for Frisian. Proceedings Interspeech, 1536–1540. San Francisco, CA. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 2 other publications

Dijkstra, Jelske, Wilbert Heeringa, Lysbeth Jongbloed-Faber & Hans Van de Velde
2021. Using Twitter Data for the Study of Language Change in Low-Resource Languages. A Panel Study of Relative Pronouns in Frisian. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence 4 DOI logo
Fernández Cuesta, Julia
2022. Der Geist, der stets verneint: Roger Lass’s epistemology of linguistic change. Language & History 65:1 ► pp. 39 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 23 april 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.