As the acquisition of linguistic variation is becoming more and more relevant within the field of theoretical language studies, this book allows for an interdisciplinary perspective to be taken on this matter, bringing together the work and research conducted in different sociolinguistic fields in a more accessible volume.
Within this publication, several chapters observe the acquisition of linguistic variation among native speakers. Laurence Buson, in ch. 3, reaches the conclusion that children of around ten years old are pluristylistic and that their repertoire depends on their exposure to linguistic diversity. Leonie Cornips, in ch. 4, observes that children in Harleen acquire the regional word-order patterns in the Dutch modal and perfective as they grow older, having assimilated a standard form beforehand. In ch. 8 Anna Ghimenon studies not only the acquisition of linguistic variation but also the language choice of a child raised in a bilectal family, concluding that the dialectal utterances of the subject double in number when the environment presents a positive reaction towards the given dialect. In the same fashion, studying bilectal environments, Evelina Leivada & Keleanthes K. Grohmann in ch. 9 perform a study in which they find out that children in Cyprus are not exactly bilectal, but able to speak ‘high’ and ‘low’ variants of Cypriot Greek, each showing a different proximity to standard modern Greek.
Other studies included focus their research on the analysis of attitudes towards different varieties of several languages and the way these attitudes are acquired. Gunther De Vogelaer & Jolien Toye in ch. 5 study the process through which people ascribe social meaning to variants in Dutch, concluding that as children grow older they become more and more sensitive to the covert prestige of local varieties. In ch. 7 Charlie Farrington, Jennifer Renn, & Mary Kohn observe the inherent relationship between segregation and participation in ethnolectal variants within the specific case of African American students in North American high schools, presenting analyses that indicate that there exists a relationship between school demographics and the presence of dialectal features.
In addition to the two kinds of researches discussed above, the book also includes articles that deal with the acquisition of linguistic variation by nonnative speakers. In ch. 6 Andrea Ender studies the implications of the existence of a standard variety within the target language and the effects of variation in the path to the acquisition of a high command of a second language, presenting evidence that second language users vary depending on their ultimate goals and how they utilize language not only for communication but also as a tool for socialization.
Overall, Acquiring sociolinguistic variation fulfills its intention of shedding light on an area of sociolinguistics that had received little attention so far. Though a more thorough process on selecting and presenting the articles would have meant a significant improvement to this publication, it fulfills its initial function, expanding the reach of pieces of research from this field, making them more accessible for scholars interested in these matters.
