What Goes Around: Language Change and Glottalization in Vermont

Abstract

Glottalization in English has a rich history of research, most of it focusing on the origin and change in the feature over time. The current study also explores these issues but with the advantage of two samples of speech: one from the 1930s and one from the 1990s. This time depth allows us to see the possible origin of this feature in an isolated rural area and its change over time as the regional demographics change. We present arguments that the phonetic and social factors surrounding glottalization interacted to produce a new form (glottal replacement) with newly evolving social meanings.