Date:  Wed, 17 Jan 1996 08:39:00 CST

From:  Tom Murray <TEM[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]KSUVM.KSU.EDU>

Subject: A Query



Can anyone refer me to a discussion of the relative stability of dialect compon

ents (phonology, morphology, lexicon) when speakers move to new dialect areas?

 For example, if someone from, say, Mobile, AL were to move to Duluth, MN, whic

h aspects of the speaker's dialect would change quickest, and which would be mo

st resistant to change? I realize that this question assumes the dialect will

change, and also that the answer may depend on any number of psycho-social fact

ors (such as which features of the original dialect the speaker identifies with

 the most/least), but have any empirical studies been done that say, for exampl

e, lexicon changes most readily (to facilitate communication), morphology chang

es almost as fast (since "incorrect" grammar is heavily stigmatized), and pronu

nciation changes most slowly (since it doesn't often impede communication, and

isn't stigmatized nearly as heavily as grammar)? Again: Does anyone have a re

ference for such a discussion? Thanks in advance.



              --Tom Murray <TEM[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]KSUVM.KSU.EDU>