Responding to sociolinguistic change: New speakers and variationist sociolinguistics

Abstract

Aims: The goal of this special issue is to anchor an understanding of language variation and change in a relatively newly adopted framework for researching ‘new speakers’ of minoritized languages. Approach: This paper first reviews basic principles of variationist sociolinguistics as they apply to new-speaker contexts before critically engaging with the notion of speakerhood. Conclusions: We frame our discussion of new speakers as mobile bilinguals in contexts of sociolinguistics change. We call into question traditional ideals of speakerhood that have been couched in studies of bilingualism and language variation and change, and we emphasize the need to understand variation as part of the new social conditions that these speakers must navigate. This approach enriches approaches to measuring key factors in bilingualism (e.g. input, peer identity, language dominance), that are better adapted to the sociolinguistic ecologies of new speakers. Originality: This is the first special issue dedicated to the bi-/multilingual repertoires of minoritized language speakers that more readily encapsulates both a new speaker framework and standard principles of language variation and change. This introduction discusses important theoretical and methodological advancements in the field.