ABSTRACT
In modern, post-industrial technological and digital societies, both the nature of the relationship between our daily linguistic interactions and the social contexts in which they occur grow ever more complex. Research in the UK has shown that there has been a tendency for regional and social variations of British English to increasingly resemble each other and to become ever more like standard English, especially in terms of grammar and lexis. As the last chapter has explored, explanations for such linguistic levelling have been sought in changing post-war demographic patterns, such as increased geographical and social mobility. These factors have contributed to a perceived breakdown of close-knit social networks associated with traditional working-class communities, thought by some researchers to be influential in maintaining local linguistic norms (see, e.g., Milroy & Milroy 1993; Williams & Kerswill 1999 and the previous chapter). However, recent research discussed in this chapter shows how, although in some parts of the UK close-knit social networks can be said to be disappearing, this is not the case everywhere. In addition to research in sociolinguistics, this chapter also considers research in sociology and social psychology as it relates to linguistic behaviour.
