Ulster Scots Speech

This work examines phonological variation in the speech of the inhabitants of Coleraine, a small town in Northern Ireland. Its purpose is to identify some of the mechanisms involved in language change by focusing on one variety of Hiberno-English-Ulster Scots in one small urban community. Kingsmore concentrates in particular on the social and family networks of this urban working-class community and their influence on the status and stigma of competing nonstandard pronunciations. The author identifies the innovators of phonological change and the social and linguistic barriers to change. This qualitative study focuses on the effect of gender on language variation and change. In addition, she describes conflicting pressures between urban and rural varieties and examines the extent of influence of a larger urban centre on a smaller urban centre. Her sociolinguistic methodology is innovative.