William labov biography

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    William Labov

    William Labov (born 1927) is an American linguist known for his influential linguistic research and contributions to the field of sociolinguistics . He is mainly recognised for his studies of dialects and language change, including how certain social factors (social class, gender etc.) affect language.

    Due to all of his great work, Labov is a big name in the field of linguistics! Let's learn more about his influential New York study...

    Labov New York Study 1966: hypothesis

    So what exactly did Labov expect?

    If any two subgroups in New York City speakers are ranked in a scale of social stratification, then they will be marked in the same order by their differential use of (r).

    (Labov, 1966)

    Let's put this hypothesis into a more digestible statement; Labov wanted to see whether people of different social classes used the linguistic variable (r) in different ways (mainly whether they pronounced it or not).

    Labov was interested i investigating ling

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    William Labov

    American linguist; father of sociolinguistics (1927–2024)

    William David Labov (lə-BOHV;[1][2] månad 4, 1927 – December 17, 2024) was an American lingvist widely regarded as the founder of the discipline of variationist sociolinguistics.[3][4] He has been described as "an enormously original and influential figure who has created much of the methodology" of sociolinguistics,[5] and "one of the most influential linguists of the 20th and 21st centuries".[6]

    Labov was a professor in the linguistics department of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and pursued research in sociolinguistics, language change, and dialectology. He retired in 2015 but continued to publish research until his death in 2024.[7]

    Early life and education

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    Labov was born in Passaic, New Jersey, and raised in Rutherford, moving to Fort Lee at age 12. According to Labov, the physician who delivered him

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    Labov, William

    December 4, 1927

    Sociolinguist William Labov was born in Rutherford, New Jersey. Perhaps more than any other person, Labov has shaped the foundation of contemporary sociolinguistics. He made seminal contributions to the study of African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), albeit within the greater context of his global effort to create an inclusive and comprehensive linguistic science.

    Labov's academic training began at Harvard University in 1944, where he majored in English and philosophy. After several unsuccessful attempts at other professions, he settled upon work as an industrial chemist in 1949. The experience of his philosophical, English, and scientific training—combined with the no-nonsense production schedules demanded of successful entrepreneurs—proved to be ideally suited to Labov's emerging fascination with linguistic science.

    Labov's 1966 dissertation, "The Social Stratification of English in New York City," written at Columbia Univ

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