2026/03/01 by Nandi Sims
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Linguistic Variation and Morphology #Multilingual Education and Policy #Phonetics and Phonology Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/s0954394526100696
openalex publication_date 2026/03/01 · openalex created_date 2026/06/04 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Abstract The process of new-dialect formation occurs when speakers of mutually intelligible varieties come into contact and create a new dialect. In this paper, I show that the process of new-dialect formation is underway in South Florida, even though the dialects coming into contact are themselves mostly contact varieties spoken by bilinguals, language learners, and the descendants thereof. This paper examines multiple vocalic variables used by 11- to 13-year-olds to explore the high variability and dialect leveling characteristic of stage two new-dialect formation. Imposition and other direct contact effects are evident within the speech of some bilingual participants, but similar patterns within the speech of monolingual English-speaking participants point to high interspeaker variability. Policing of marked features points to the direction in which leveling may shape this emerging dialect.