Intra-Writer Variation in Historical Sociolinguistics FAU Erlangen

Intra-writer or stylistic variation can be considered as one of the new waves in historical sociolinguistics – see the previous HiSoN conference in Leiden 2018. In modern sociolinguistics, intra-speaker and stylistic variation have reached “the centre of sociolinguistic theorization and method” (Bell 2014: 297) and are now “a key ingredient of variationist sociolinguistic research” (Hernández-Campoy 2016: 30). The success of the so-called third-wave studies with their focus on the construction of identities through language has brought about influential concepts such as stylization, crossing and enregisterment. Resulting from the frequent lack of available information about individual historical writers and the randomness of textual transmission, historical sociolinguistics faces increased difficulties when focusing on individual language use and stylistic repertoires. This may be the reason why intra-writer variation has as yet not received much attention. This desideratum in historical sociolinguistics will be addressed at the HiSoN 2021 conference (-> Call for Papers).

VIVO CRC 1412