‘When intuitions (don't) fail’
Combining syntax and sociolinguistics in the analysis of Scots
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21695485 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Elizabeth R Jamieson (0000-0001-8679-3360, University of York), Jennifer Smith (0000-0001-6825-7118, University of Glasgow), David Adger (0000-0002-3253-5400, Queen Mary University of London), Caroline Heycock (0000-0003-1615-6328, Language Science (South Korea)), Gary Thoms (0000-0001-5790-675X, Center for Applied Linguistics) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-34 |
| Publication date | 2025-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | English Language and Linguistics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1360-6743 • E-ISSN: 1469-4379 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s1360674323000679 |
| OpenAlex | W4402518020 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
A perennial problem for sociolinguists interested in morphosyntactic variation is that such forms are often low frequency, making quantitative analysis difficult or impossible. However, sociolinguists have been generally reluctant to adopt methodologies from syntax, such as acceptability data gleaned from speaker intuition, due to the belief that these judgments are not necessarily reliable. In this article we present data from the Scots Syntax Atlas , which employs sociolinguistic methodologies in spoken data alongside the results of acceptability judgments. We target three morphosyntactic variables and compare and contrast these across the two data types in order to assess the reliability of the judgment data at community level. The results show that reliability is variable-dependent. For some variables, there is clear correlation; with others, it appears that, as Labov (1996) phrased it, ‘intuitions fail’. We discuss how factors such as salience, social stigma and local identity combine to govern the reliability of judgment data
Linguistics · Scots · Sociolinguistics · Syntax · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Linguistics, Language Diversity, and Identity · Philosophy · Scottish History and National Identity
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |