Mason A Wirtz
Biographic Data
| ID | 1692910 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mason A Wirtz |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mason A |
| FAMILY NAME | Wirtz |
| SIGNATURE | WIRTZ M A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Salzburg |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9408-1993 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 3 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 14 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
The effects of bidialectalism on cognitive functioning among young and midlife adults in Austria
One of the most widely debated topics in bilingualism research pertains to the issue of the “bilingual advantage”, that is the idea that regular use of multiple languages can enhance cognitive abilities. A related notion is that control of two typologically very close languages such as a vernacular and standard language variety (i.e., bidialectalism) may foster cognitive control abilities due to the ubiquitous everyday usage of both varieties. We…
Individual Differences in Perceived Linguistic Change Following Life-Course Transitions in the Personal Domain
In this article, we evaluate (a) which major life events (MLEs) in the personal domain (relocation, new friendship, romantic relationship, marriage, parenthood, and grandparenthood) impact on perceived linguistic change among 309 Austrians, and (b) which quantitatively and qualitatively captured individual differences affect this relationship. Bayesian regression modeling revealed that age at the time of the MLE and proficiency in (non)standard v…
The love factor in variationist SLA
The love factor in the field of second language acquisition has gained considerable traction since the turn of the century. This article is the first to take a variationist perspective to investigate how multilingual coupledom affects sociolinguistic development in the second language (L2). Participants were 76 users of L2 German living in Austria, all of whom were in a romantic relationship with an Austrian partner. We analyzed the effects of mu…
Individual differences in event experiences and psychosocial factors as drivers for perceived linguistic change following occupational major life events
The aim of this study is to investigate both quantitatively and qualitatively the impact of career-related major life events (MLEs) on patterns of reported linguistic change across the lifespan, with an emphasis on how individual differences relate to differential patterns of MLE-related change. The occupational significant life events scrutinized here include entry into the workforce, job/career change, unemployment, and retirement. We analyzed …
Reconciling Inter- and Intra-Individual Variation in L2 Socio-Pragmatic Development
This study is the first to scrutinize the rates of, and the lexical diversity in, adjective intensification in second language (L2) German. We additionally attend to the issue concerning whether sociodemographic variables (i.e., length of residence, age, and gender) and individual learner differences (i.e., L2 proficiency, intensity of exposure to the L2, and L2 socioaffect) can predict (a) the inter-individual variation in syntactic adjective in…
Major life events as drivers of perceived linguistic change across adulthood
This article is the first to quantify the interindividual effects of different major life events (MLEs) on retrospective perceptions of individual-level linguistic change across the adult lifespan. In this cross-sectional study, 701 German-speaking participants from Austria completed an online survey measuring the extent to which MLEs in the educational, occupational, and personal domain are associated with perceived changes in productive and aff…
Functional Prestige in Sociolinguistic Evaluative Judgements Among Adult Second Language Speakers in Austria
This study explores the perception of (Austrian) standard German and Austro-Bavarian dialect varieties by 111 adult speakers of German as a second language (L2) in Austria, tested through 'smart' and 'friendly' judgements in a matched-guise task. Our goal was to determine whether L2 speakers, both at the group level and as a function of individual differences in standard German and dialect proficiency, reflect the attitudes of Austrian speakers b…
Capturing Thresholds and Continuities
This cross-sectional study addresses for the first time the non/linear association between individual learner differences of social, proficiency-related, and socioaffective nature (length of residence [LoR], varietal proficiency, exposure, and socioaffect) and differential outcomes in L2 sociolinguistic repertoires against the backdrop of the Austro-Bavarian naturalistic context. Forty adult migrant L2 German learners participated in a virtual re…
Sociolinguistic competence and varietal repertoires in a second language
The present study takes a variationist perspective to explore the varietal repertoires of adult learners of German as a second language (L2), that is, their variable use of standard German, Austro‐Bavarian dialect, and mixture varieties. Forty L2 learners completed a virtual reality task involving interactions with dialect‐speaking and standard‐German‐speaking interlocutors. Using Bayesian multilevel modeling, the goal was to explore differential…
On the relationship between complexity of primary occupation and L2 varietal behavior in adult migrants in Austria
This article explores for the first time the relationship between occupational complexity (operationalized using the complexity measures indicated in the Dictionary of occupational titles ) and adult migrants’ second language (L2) sociolinguistic repertoires in the Austro-Bavarian naturalistic context. We analyze the data of 36 adult migrant L2 German speakers who participated in a virtual reality experiment involving interactions with a dialect-…
Spatial, occupational, and age-related effects on reported variation in colloquial German
While dialectal variation is often investigated from a geographical angle, there exists substantial variation both within the community and individual. The aim of the present article is to investigate the extent to which spatial, occupational, and age-related factors are associated with the diversity of linguistic variants reported per informant at a given locality. Drawing on colloquial language data from the Atlas zur deutschen Alltagssprache ‘…
Signature Dynamics of Development in Second Language Sociolinguistic Competence
This study is the first to explore microdevelopment in sociolinguistic evaluative judgments of standard German and Austro-Bavarian dialect by adult second language learners of German by using dense time serial measurements. Intensive longitudinal data (10 observations per participant) were collected from four learners at approximately weekly intervals over 3 months. We employed generalized additive models with superimposed periods of significant …
Variability and individual differences in L2 sociolinguistic evaluations
This study is the first to investigate subject-level variability in sociolinguistic evaluative judgements by 30 adult L2 German learners and explore whether the observed variability is characterizable as a function of individual differences in proficiency, exposure, and motivation. Because group-level estimates did not paint an accurate picture of the individual, we propose methods capable of integrating population-level estimates with person- an…
Understanding Austria from Afar
The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced nearly every aspect of the academic world, and study abroad is no exception. Particularly in the foreign language learning sector, the unprecedented switch from in-class lectures to distance learning brought with it many challenges. Not only were language instructors tasked with creating an interactive language learning atmosphere from afar but continuing to spark student motivation while catering to a broad r…
Functional Prestige in Sociolinguistic Evaluative Judgements Among Adult Second Language Speakers in Austria
This study explores the perception of (Austrian) standard German and Austro-Bavarian dialect varieties by 111 adult speakers of German as a second language (L2) in Austria, tested through 'smart' and 'friendly' judgements in a matched-guise task. Our goal was to determine whether L2 speakers, both at the group level and as a function of individual differences in standard German and dialect proficiency, reflect the attitudes of Austrian speakers b…
Signature Dynamics of Development in Second Language Sociolinguistic Competence
This study is the first to explore microdevelopment in sociolinguistic evaluative judgments of standard German and Austro-Bavarian dialect by adult second language learners of German by using dense time serial measurements. Intensive longitudinal data (10 observations per participant) were collected from four learners at approximately weekly intervals over 3 months. We employed generalized additive models with superimposed periods of significant …
Understanding Austria from Afar
The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced nearly every aspect of the academic world, and study abroad is no exception. Particularly in the foreign language learning sector, the unprecedented switch from in-class lectures to distance learning brought with it many challenges. Not only were language instructors tasked with creating an interactive language learning atmosphere from afar but continuing to spark student motivation while catering to a broad r…
Variability and individual differences in L2 sociolinguistic evaluations
This study is the first to investigate subject-level variability in sociolinguistic evaluative judgements by 30 adult L2 German learners and explore whether the observed variability is characterizable as a function of individual differences in proficiency, exposure, and motivation. Because group-level estimates did not paint an accurate picture of the individual, we propose methods capable of integrating population-level estimates with person- an…
Capturing Thresholds and Continuities
This cross-sectional study addresses for the first time the non/linear association between individual learner differences of social, proficiency-related, and socioaffective nature (length of residence [LoR], varietal proficiency, exposure, and socioaffect) and differential outcomes in L2 sociolinguistic repertoires against the backdrop of the Austro-Bavarian naturalistic context. Forty adult migrant L2 German learners participated in a virtual re…
Sociolinguistic competence and varietal repertoires in a second language
The present study takes a variationist perspective to explore the varietal repertoires of adult learners of German as a second language (L2), that is, their variable use of standard German, Austro‐Bavarian dialect, and mixture varieties. Forty L2 learners completed a virtual reality task involving interactions with dialect‐speaking and standard‐German‐speaking interlocutors. Using Bayesian multilevel modeling, the goal was to explore differential…
On the relationship between complexity of primary occupation and L2 varietal behavior in adult migrants in Austria
This article explores for the first time the relationship between occupational complexity (operationalized using the complexity measures indicated in the Dictionary of occupational titles ) and adult migrants’ second language (L2) sociolinguistic repertoires in the Austro-Bavarian naturalistic context. We analyze the data of 36 adult migrant L2 German speakers who participated in a virtual reality experiment involving interactions with a dialect-…
Spatial, occupational, and age-related effects on reported variation in colloquial German
While dialectal variation is often investigated from a geographical angle, there exists substantial variation both within the community and individual. The aim of the present article is to investigate the extent to which spatial, occupational, and age-related factors are associated with the diversity of linguistic variants reported per informant at a given locality. Drawing on colloquial language data from the Atlas zur deutschen Alltagssprache ‘…
Signature Dynamics of Development in Second Language Sociolinguistic Competence
This study is the first to explore microdevelopment in sociolinguistic evaluative judgments of standard German and Austro-Bavarian dialect by adult second language learners of German by using dense time serial measurements. Intensive longitudinal data (10 observations per participant) were collected from four learners at approximately weekly intervals over 3 months. We employed generalized additive models with superimposed periods of significant …
Individual Differences in Perceived Linguistic Change Following Life-Course Transitions in the Personal Domain
In this article, we evaluate (a) which major life events (MLEs) in the personal domain (relocation, new friendship, romantic relationship, marriage, parenthood, and grandparenthood) impact on perceived linguistic change among 309 Austrians, and (b) which quantitatively and qualitatively captured individual differences affect this relationship. Bayesian regression modeling revealed that age at the time of the MLE and proficiency in (non)standard v…
The love factor in variationist SLA
The love factor in the field of second language acquisition has gained considerable traction since the turn of the century. This article is the first to take a variationist perspective to investigate how multilingual coupledom affects sociolinguistic development in the second language (L2). Participants were 76 users of L2 German living in Austria, all of whom were in a romantic relationship with an Austrian partner. We analyzed the effects of mu…
Individual differences in event experiences and psychosocial factors as drivers for perceived linguistic change following occupational major life events
The aim of this study is to investigate both quantitatively and qualitatively the impact of career-related major life events (MLEs) on patterns of reported linguistic change across the lifespan, with an emphasis on how individual differences relate to differential patterns of MLE-related change. The occupational significant life events scrutinized here include entry into the workforce, job/career change, unemployment, and retirement. We analyzed …
Reconciling Inter- and Intra-Individual Variation in L2 Socio-Pragmatic Development
This study is the first to scrutinize the rates of, and the lexical diversity in, adjective intensification in second language (L2) German. We additionally attend to the issue concerning whether sociodemographic variables (i.e., length of residence, age, and gender) and individual learner differences (i.e., L2 proficiency, intensity of exposure to the L2, and L2 socioaffect) can predict (a) the inter-individual variation in syntactic adjective in…
Major life events as drivers of perceived linguistic change across adulthood
This article is the first to quantify the interindividual effects of different major life events (MLEs) on retrospective perceptions of individual-level linguistic change across the adult lifespan. In this cross-sectional study, 701 German-speaking participants from Austria completed an online survey measuring the extent to which MLEs in the educational, occupational, and personal domain are associated with perceived changes in productive and aff…
Functional Prestige in Sociolinguistic Evaluative Judgements Among Adult Second Language Speakers in Austria
This study explores the perception of (Austrian) standard German and Austro-Bavarian dialect varieties by 111 adult speakers of German as a second language (L2) in Austria, tested through 'smart' and 'friendly' judgements in a matched-guise task. Our goal was to determine whether L2 speakers, both at the group level and as a function of individual differences in standard German and dialect proficiency, reflect the attitudes of Austrian speakers b…
The effects of bidialectalism on cognitive functioning among young and midlife adults in Austria
One of the most widely debated topics in bilingualism research pertains to the issue of the “bilingual advantage”, that is the idea that regular use of multiple languages can enhance cognitive abilities. A related notion is that control of two typologically very close languages such as a vernacular and standard language variety (i.e., bidialectalism) may foster cognitive control abilities due to the ubiquitous everyday usage of both varieties. We…
Linguistics (11 works) · German (10 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Linguistic Variation and Morphology (8 works) · Linguistics, Language Diversity, and Identity (5 works) · Multilingual Education and Policy (5 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Developmental psychology (4 works) · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies (4 works) · Sociology (4 works)