How to obtain speaker numbers for English varieties around the world

Abstract

Abstract Situated at the crossroads of English varieties studies, sociolinguistics, and typology, this paper offers an empirically-based discussion of practical and theoretical challenges involved in collecting speaker data for English varieties. The starting point is recent research on statistical trends between sociodemographic data, including speaker numbers, and linguistic structures. Such quantitative analyses depend on the availability and quality of speaker numbers and thus precipitate the collection of unavailable and well-documented data. In this vein, I detail how to extrapolate speaker numbers from open-access sources for a wide range of English varieties. Based on empirical use cases, practical issues like data quality and reliability are discussed. Furthermore, I illustrate how (the lack of uniform) definitions for concepts commonly used in census data like mother tongue or native speaker impact data collection. In short, this paper highlights key issues in collecting speaker numbers which have implications for research in English varieties and beyond.

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