figures in the field on the impact that Labov has made for all of us in Sociolinguistics. Thank you to everyone for welcoming me into such an amazing community of research and people - I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity and to have left having made lots of new friends (2)
November 11, 2025 at 10:08 AM
figures in the field on the impact that Labov has made for all of us in Sociolinguistics. Thank you to everyone for welcoming me into such an amazing community of research and people - I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity and to have left having made lots of new friends (2)
I also love that, thanks to Bill Labov, every sociolinguistics student in the world learns about Martha's Vineyard and Philadelphia
November 4, 2025 at 12:43 PM
I also love that, thanks to Bill Labov, every sociolinguistics student in the world learns about Martha's Vineyard and Philadelphia
i absolutely adore the very confident tone adopted in papers of that time (not just by Labov)
November 4, 2025 at 12:37 PM
i absolutely adore the very confident tone adopted in papers of that time (not just by Labov)
preparing a sociolinguistics lecture on social networks (based on a colleagues' outline for a similar class) and revisting some classic graphs:
November 4, 2025 at 12:35 PM
preparing a sociolinguistics lecture on social networks (based on a colleagues' outline for a similar class) and revisting some classic graphs:
Hah yes I suppose. (I don’t want to well actually you,so I hope you recognize the Labov quote!)
November 4, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Hah yes I suppose. (I don’t want to well actually you,so I hope you recognize the Labov quote!)
Abstract Essay, now in its fifth season, features Barry LaBov—author, entrepreneur, and creator of Differentiate Your Brand to Win Hearts, Minds, and Market Share—as my guest.
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/a...
#podmatch
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/a...
#podmatch
October 28, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Abstract Essay, now in its fifth season, features Barry LaBov—author, entrepreneur, and creator of Differentiate Your Brand to Win Hearts, Minds, and Market Share—as my guest.
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/a...
#podmatch
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/a...
#podmatch
You're right. US regional varieties are shifting (aka "dying out") but it's not because we're all starting to sound the same. The varieties are diverging more so varieties sound more different than before. Labov has a book (or more??) about this.
October 26, 2025 at 10:17 PM
You're right. US regional varieties are shifting (aka "dying out") but it's not because we're all starting to sound the same. The varieties are diverging more so varieties sound more different than before. Labov has a book (or more??) about this.
Citing B. Jackson, "Get Your Ass in the Water and Swim Like Me" (1974); ... W. Labov, Language in the Inner City: Studies in the Black English Vernacular (1972). ... C. Bins, "Toward an Ethnography of Contemporary African American Oral Poetry," ...
October 24, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Citing B. Jackson, "Get Your Ass in the Water and Swim Like Me" (1974); ... W. Labov, Language in the Inner City: Studies in the Black English Vernacular (1972). ... C. Bins, "Toward an Ethnography of Contemporary African American Oral Poetry," ...
This is still my favorite, though a bit of a stretch
"As the girls reported, wearing black would have been too radical a statement, so they chose pegging as a more moderate sign of independence"
— Eckert (2019)
"As the girls reported, wearing black would have been too radical a statement, so they chose pegging as a more moderate sign of independence"
— Eckert (2019)
October 22, 2025 at 8:50 PM
This is still my favorite, though a bit of a stretch
"As the girls reported, wearing black would have been too radical a statement, so they chose pegging as a more moderate sign of independence"
— Eckert (2019)
"As the girls reported, wearing black would have been too radical a statement, so they chose pegging as a more moderate sign of independence"
— Eckert (2019)
@gretchenmcc.bsky.social @superlinguo.bsky.social In your Labov and the bunny episode you asked 'is this example going to start showing up in people's lecture slides?'. Can confirm, yes it is.
October 16, 2025 at 3:43 PM
@gretchenmcc.bsky.social @superlinguo.bsky.social In your Labov and the bunny episode you asked 'is this example going to start showing up in people's lecture slides?'. Can confirm, yes it is.
Labov et al, ANAE
October 10, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Labov et al, ANAE
That's right! The cot-caught merger is resisted in the Northeast Corridor
![Resistance
According to Labov, Ash, and Boberg,[17] the merger in North America is most strongly resisted in three regions:
The "Inland North", encompassing the eastern and central Great Lakes region (on the U.S. side of the border)
The "Northeast Corridor" along the Atlantic coast, ranging from Baltimore to Philadelphia to New York City to Providence. However, the merger is common in Boston and further northern New England.
The "South", somewhat excluding Texas and Florida.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ldv7gbrnwo3n7y5pwdmbrw6v/bafkreiab26kkoz7urhbbfxwdezt5oonpio7sbjw4zy35smcpmrqow7leqq@jpeg)
October 3, 2025 at 6:41 PM
That's right! The cot-caught merger is resisted in the Northeast Corridor
Because Labov, the legendary linguist, taught at Penn for decades, the Philadelphia accent has more linguistic research than almost any accent in the world
But, unlike all those accents, is what linguists call “rhotic”, meaning we pronounce all our “R” sounds, even the ending “r”, unlike those other accents (except Canadian/Ottowan, which is also rhotic). Between that and its diphthongs, it’s really hard to nail.
September 30, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Because Labov, the legendary linguist, taught at Penn for decades, the Philadelphia accent has more linguistic research than almost any accent in the world
In this spirit- I live on the Lower East Side in a community with folks that have been here their whole lives, some of which were definitely here when Labov did his work in the 60s.
I have access to this resource and would love to collect interviews, but would need some sort of funding. Ideas?
I have access to this resource and would love to collect interviews, but would need some sort of funding. Ideas?
that'd be a great idea for a type of conference submission, actually. "I have this data, everyone come and give me ideas and strategy for how best to use it." win-win for the whole community.
September 25, 2025 at 3:18 PM
In this spirit- I live on the Lower East Side in a community with folks that have been here their whole lives, some of which were definitely here when Labov did his work in the 60s.
I have access to this resource and would love to collect interviews, but would need some sort of funding. Ideas?
I have access to this resource and would love to collect interviews, but would need some sort of funding. Ideas?
I am so grateful to the editors of Diachronica for letting me write this piece in memoriam of Bill Labov.
And so grateful that they let me write what I most wanted to - a piece about Bill's *goodness*, his love for humanity, and how those things *resulted in* what we think of as his genius
🐦
And so grateful that they let me write what I most wanted to - a piece about Bill's *goodness*, his love for humanity, and how those things *resulted in* what we think of as his genius
🐦
www.jbe-platform.com/content/jour... is now out, @betsysneller.bsky.social 's beautiful tribute to Bill Labov
Falling in love with humanity | John Benjamins
Abstract
William (Bill) Labov, pioneering scholar of language change, died on December 17, 2024. His MA and PhD theses in
the mid 1960s revolutionized the field of language variation and change, and h...
www.jbe-platform.com
September 10, 2025 at 10:33 AM
I am so grateful to the editors of Diachronica for letting me write this piece in memoriam of Bill Labov.
And so grateful that they let me write what I most wanted to - a piece about Bill's *goodness*, his love for humanity, and how those things *resulted in* what we think of as his genius
🐦
And so grateful that they let me write what I most wanted to - a piece about Bill's *goodness*, his love for humanity, and how those things *resulted in* what we think of as his genius
🐦
Lovely memoriam for Bill Labov by
@betsysneller.bsky.social
Death to the enemies of sound change!
www.jbe-platform.com/content/jour...
@betsysneller.bsky.social
Death to the enemies of sound change!
www.jbe-platform.com/content/jour...
Falling in love with humanity | John Benjamins
Abstract
William (Bill) Labov, pioneering scholar of language change, died on December 17, 2024. His MA and PhD theses in
the mid 1960s revolutionized the field of language variation and change, and h...
www.jbe-platform.com
September 9, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Lovely memoriam for Bill Labov by
@betsysneller.bsky.social
Death to the enemies of sound change!
www.jbe-platform.com/content/jour...
@betsysneller.bsky.social
Death to the enemies of sound change!
www.jbe-platform.com/content/jour...
www.jbe-platform.com/content/jour... is now out, @betsysneller.bsky.social 's beautiful tribute to Bill Labov
Falling in love with humanity | John Benjamins
Abstract
William (Bill) Labov, pioneering scholar of language change, died on December 17, 2024. His MA and PhD theses in
the mid 1960s revolutionized the field of language variation and change, and h...
www.jbe-platform.com
September 8, 2025 at 1:03 PM
www.jbe-platform.com/content/jour... is now out, @betsysneller.bsky.social 's beautiful tribute to Bill Labov
This was probably one of my favorite bits! I'm so glad you three wrote this. I actually was just talking with my class about Labov and went looking for some resources to share with them. This was definitely my favorite find this time. Thank you for this
September 4, 2025 at 4:59 PM
This was probably one of my favorite bits! I'm so glad you three wrote this. I actually was just talking with my class about Labov and went looking for some resources to share with them. This was definitely my favorite find this time. Thank you for this
There are several accents in Philly. And yes, race and ethnicity factor into them. I am a linguist, and I have read work by William Labov.
Speed is not something I normally associate with an accent, but I definitely recognize that I talk slower than most. That’s from teaching for 20 years.
Speed is not something I normally associate with an accent, but I definitely recognize that I talk slower than most. That’s from teaching for 20 years.
August 27, 2025 at 5:32 PM
There are several accents in Philly. And yes, race and ethnicity factor into them. I am a linguist, and I have read work by William Labov.
Speed is not something I normally associate with an accent, but I definitely recognize that I talk slower than most. That’s from teaching for 20 years.
Speed is not something I normally associate with an accent, but I definitely recognize that I talk slower than most. That’s from teaching for 20 years.
If you're ever feeling bummed out about a rejection, just remember: Bill Labov didn't win the dissertation award he was nominated for
🐦
🐦
August 23, 2025 at 11:11 AM
If you're ever feeling bummed out about a rejection, just remember: Bill Labov didn't win the dissertation award he was nominated for
🐦
🐦
this made me check if Labov was still alive lmao
damn, dude made it awhile
damn, dude made it awhile
August 22, 2025 at 6:03 PM
this made me check if Labov was still alive lmao
damn, dude made it awhile
damn, dude made it awhile
While I'm dispensing computer advice, to any new graduate students:
Save all your article PDFs using the same template. I like LASTNAME YEAR SHORT TITLE/DESCRIPTION, like
Labov 1963 Marthas Vineyard
Save them all in just one giant folder, not piecemeal by class. Thank me when you're tenured.
Save all your article PDFs using the same template. I like LASTNAME YEAR SHORT TITLE/DESCRIPTION, like
Labov 1963 Marthas Vineyard
Save them all in just one giant folder, not piecemeal by class. Thank me when you're tenured.
August 21, 2025 at 7:07 PM
While I'm dispensing computer advice, to any new graduate students:
Save all your article PDFs using the same template. I like LASTNAME YEAR SHORT TITLE/DESCRIPTION, like
Labov 1963 Marthas Vineyard
Save them all in just one giant folder, not piecemeal by class. Thank me when you're tenured.
Save all your article PDFs using the same template. I like LASTNAME YEAR SHORT TITLE/DESCRIPTION, like
Labov 1963 Marthas Vineyard
Save them all in just one giant folder, not piecemeal by class. Thank me when you're tenured.
Ik ken Labov, maar niet gelezen nee, zal dat dan eens moeten bekijken.
En Martha's Vineyard is toch ook dat eiland waar iedereen de gebarentaal kende omdat er procentueel zoveel dove mensen geboren werden !
En Martha's Vineyard is toch ook dat eiland waar iedereen de gebarentaal kende omdat er procentueel zoveel dove mensen geboren werden !
August 19, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Ik ken Labov, maar niet gelezen nee, zal dat dan eens moeten bekijken.
En Martha's Vineyard is toch ook dat eiland waar iedereen de gebarentaal kende omdat er procentueel zoveel dove mensen geboren werden !
En Martha's Vineyard is toch ook dat eiland waar iedereen de gebarentaal kende omdat er procentueel zoveel dove mensen geboren werden !