User:Karenbeamanvslx

Background
I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Sociolinguistics at Queen Mary, University of London. I have a M.S. from Georgetown in Sociolinguistics and B.A. from Old Dominion University in English, French, and German languages.

Current Work
My dissertation topic is: Coherence, Convergence, Change: A Sociolinguistic Variationist Approach to Dialect and Standard Language Use in Swabia."The primary objective of this research is to investigate the drivers and inhibitors of language change that manifest in the systematic and predictable patterns of linguistic coherence, with special focus on the theory of sociolinguistic coherence and how it shapes variation and fosters or constrains language change. My overall hypothesis is that more coherent lects are less vulnerable to change and convergence to the standard language, while less coherent lects are more susceptible. To evaluate this proposition, this study examines the usage of the Swabian dialect spoken in southwestern Germany vis à vis the standard language within the context of a combined apparent-time/real-time study by exploring three theoretical tenets that are fundamental to studies in sociolinguistics and language variation:""Tenet 1: Language change is driven primarily by social factors, not linguistic factors;""Tenet 2: Some dialect variants converge to the standard while others remain stable; and""Tenet 3: Sociolects cohere across the grammar in systematic and predictable ways."