ABSTRACT
The final chapter provides a summary of the major findings in Chapters 4 to 6, and an overall picture of the way in which the concept of salience can determine whether social or linguistic factors might be more prominent for a particular linguistic feature. The study finds four main types of linguistic features when considering the relationship between salience and social function. The first group consists of features that are perceptually salient and are saliently different from Standard English. These features are most likely to be socially mobilized. The second group consists of features that are perceptually salient but not saliently different from Standard English. These features are only likely to be socially mobilized by advanced speakers. The third group consists of features that are not perceptually salient but saliently different from Standard English. These features tend not to be socially mobilized. The fourth and final group consists of features that are not perceptually salient and not saliently different from Standard English. These features are the most unlikely to be socially mobilized. Additionally, the chapter also briefly discusses the implications of the concept of parallel constructions for the fields of language pedagogy, second language acquisition, and contact linguistics.
