Monitoring 21st-Century Real-Time Language Change in Spanish Youth Speech
In recent decades, youth language has become one of the preferred research areas in sociolinguistics, not only because of its non-normative nature but mostly because it is recognized as a catalyst for language change. Since adolescents aspire to create and safeguard an in-group identity, they consta...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Languages |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/6/4/162 |
| _version_ | 1797502979203399680 |
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| author | Linde Roels Fien De Latte Renata Enghels |
| author_facet | Linde Roels Fien De Latte Renata Enghels |
| author_sort | Linde Roels |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent decades, youth language has become one of the preferred research areas in sociolinguistics, not only because of its non-normative nature but mostly because it is recognized as a catalyst for language change. Since adolescents aspire to create and safeguard an in-group identity, they constantly generate innovative linguistic forms. However, few studies have empirically monitored the speed at which linguistic innovations are introduced into youth language. This study explores the speed and nature of recent language change within Spanish youth language by conducting a corpus analysis in real time. Data of the contemporary CORMA corpus (<i>Corpus Oral de Madrid</i>, compiled between 2016 and 2019) are contrasted with the highly comparable data of the COLAm corpus (<i>Corpus Oral de Lenguaje Adolescente de Madrid</i>, compiled between 2003 and 2007). The study scrutinizes two typical phenomena of youth language, namely the use of intensifiers (e.g., <i>super-</i>, <i>mazo</i>) and vocatives (e.g., <i>tío/tía</i>, <i>chaval/chavala</i>). It is shown that changes occur at a more moderate speed than previously assumed and that the speed of change depends on the linguistic phenomenon under study. Additionally, the data suggest that more neutral forms remain quite stable over time, while the use of more expressive items shrinks or increases faster. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:43:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6a58a3138ee84b03a355363ee0b3ec44 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2226-471X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:43:55Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Languages |
| spelling | doaj.art-6a58a3138ee84b03a355363ee0b3ec442023-11-23T09:12:10ZengMDPI AGLanguages2226-471X2021-10-016416210.3390/languages6040162Monitoring 21st-Century Real-Time Language Change in Spanish Youth SpeechLinde Roels0Fien De Latte1Renata Enghels2Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, BelgiumDepartment of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, BelgiumDepartment of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, BelgiumIn recent decades, youth language has become one of the preferred research areas in sociolinguistics, not only because of its non-normative nature but mostly because it is recognized as a catalyst for language change. Since adolescents aspire to create and safeguard an in-group identity, they constantly generate innovative linguistic forms. However, few studies have empirically monitored the speed at which linguistic innovations are introduced into youth language. This study explores the speed and nature of recent language change within Spanish youth language by conducting a corpus analysis in real time. Data of the contemporary CORMA corpus (<i>Corpus Oral de Madrid</i>, compiled between 2016 and 2019) are contrasted with the highly comparable data of the COLAm corpus (<i>Corpus Oral de Lenguaje Adolescente de Madrid</i>, compiled between 2003 and 2007). The study scrutinizes two typical phenomena of youth language, namely the use of intensifiers (e.g., <i>super-</i>, <i>mazo</i>) and vocatives (e.g., <i>tío/tía</i>, <i>chaval/chavala</i>). It is shown that changes occur at a more moderate speed than previously assumed and that the speed of change depends on the linguistic phenomenon under study. Additionally, the data suggest that more neutral forms remain quite stable over time, while the use of more expressive items shrinks or increases faster.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/6/4/162recent language changeyouth languageintensifiersvocatives(inter)subjectivityexpressivity |
| spellingShingle | Linde Roels Fien De Latte Renata Enghels Monitoring 21st-Century Real-Time Language Change in Spanish Youth Speech Languages recent language change youth language intensifiers vocatives (inter)subjectivity expressivity |
| title | Monitoring 21st-Century Real-Time Language Change in Spanish Youth Speech |
| title_full | Monitoring 21st-Century Real-Time Language Change in Spanish Youth Speech |
| title_fullStr | Monitoring 21st-Century Real-Time Language Change in Spanish Youth Speech |
| title_full_unstemmed | Monitoring 21st-Century Real-Time Language Change in Spanish Youth Speech |
| title_short | Monitoring 21st-Century Real-Time Language Change in Spanish Youth Speech |
| title_sort | monitoring 21st century real time language change in spanish youth speech |
| topic | recent language change youth language intensifiers vocatives (inter)subjectivity expressivity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/6/4/162 |
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