Conversations with Strangers

The use of spoken language to convey the central concerns of daily life, as communicated in conversations with strangers.

William Labov (Author), Gillian Sankoff (With)

9781009340939, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 17 August 2023

75 pages
27 x 18 x 0.7 cm, 0.127 kg

This Element documents the evolution of a research program that began in the early 1960s with the author's first investigation of language change on Martha's Vineyard. It traces the development of what has become the basic framework for studying language variation and change. Interviews with strangers are the backbone of this research: the ten American English speakers appearing here were all strangers to the interviewer at the time. They were selected as among the most memorable, from thousands of interviews across six decades. The speakers express their ideas and concerns in the language of everyday life, dealing with their way of earning a living, getting along with neighbors, raising a family – all  matters in which their language serves them well. These people speak for themselves. And you will hear their voices. What they have to say is a monument to the richness and variety of the American vernacular, offering a tour of the studies that have built the field of sociolinguistics.

1. Prologue: What this Element is about
2. Growing up in New Jersey
3. Martha's Vineyard: Donald Poole, Fisherman
4. New York City: Rose Barisse, Garment Worker
5. New York City: Michael Duffy, Fireman
6. Rural Pennsylvania: Bill Peters, Farmer
7. Rural Utah: Brad Anders, Dairy Farmer
8. Hillsborough, North Carolina: Adolphus Hester, Farmer
9. Knoxville, Tennessee: Louise Atkins, Domestic Worker
10. East Atlanta: Henry Guyton, Railway Foreman
11. Philadelphia Pennsylvania: Celeste Sweeney, Saleswoman
12. Philadelphia Pennsylvania: Gloria Stein, Postal clerk
13. Final Words
References.

Subject Areas: Sociolinguistics [CFB]