The Short-a System of New York City English: An Update

Kara Becker · Amy Wing‐mei Wong

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Linguistic Variation and Morphology Phonetics and Phonology Research Linguistic and Sociocultural Studies

Abstract

This paper reports on the current status of the short-a system in New York City English (NYCE), traditionally characterized as a phonemic split conditioned by the following phonological environment and a complex set of additional constraints (Labov 2007, Labov, Ash, and Boberg 2006). We provide apparent-time evidence from twelve white native New Yorkers of three age groups that the complex short-a split is changing over time, such that the system is losing its complex conditioning among our young white speakers. These results raise questions concerning the continuing characterization of NYCE short-a as phonemic. Additionally, we demonstrate that young native New Yorkers of ethnic minority backgrounds (Chinese, Puerto Rican, and African American) who speak English natively do not produce the traditional NYCE split, but instead produce a nasal tensing system (Labov 2007). In addition to providing current results suggesting change in white NYCE, this study contributes to the growing literature in sociolinguistics regarding ethnic minority speakers and their production of regional dialect features.

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References

1968The Social Stratification of English in New York City.1994Principles of Linguistic Change: Internal Factors 2007Transmission and diffusion 2005The Atlas of North American English: Phonetics, Phonology and Sound Change 2006Language and Ethnicity 1960Language and Social Class 1999A majority sound change in a minority community: /u/‐fronting in Chicano English 2000Out of the mouths of slaves: African American language and educational malpractice . By John Baugh. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999. Pp. xviii, 190.

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