Project goals

To describe patterns of language variation and change in the Appalachian and African-American communities in Detroit, with attention to relevant social variables.

To examine the social and linguistic dynamics which determine the influence of competing linguistic norms in an urban dialect contact situation.

To contribute to a wider debate on the nature of regional and social variation in African-American English.

To examine the character of social network ties of African American and Appalachian participants, with a view to investigating mechanisms of dialect maintenance and change.

To develop an integrative model of linguistic change which attends to both internal linguistic and social factors.

To examine the validity of the assumption that changes in apparent time mirror changes in real time.

To develop and implement proactive dialect awareness programs for selected schools in fieldwork sites which recognize the cultural value of vernacular varieties.