Nj. Woods, Internal and external dimensions of language change: the great divide? Evidence from New Zealand English, LINGUISTICS, 39(5), 2001, pp. 973-1007
In examining and attempting to describe the phenomena of language change, w
e have traditionally been faced with an enforced choice between internal an
d external explanations (see, for example, Labov, 1972; Ross 1996). Recent
research has begun to east doubt upon this dichotomy to the extent that som
e now believe that the position that an external cause excludes an internal
one (or vice versa) is untenable (Thomason and Kaufman 1988; Romaine 1995;
Ross 1996). However, while research has now questioned the divide and has
suggested that both internal and external factors may play a part in any si
ngle linguistic shift, we are still a long way fi-om understanding how thes
e dimensions interact in the mechanism of language change. This paper begin
s by providing a critical discussion of the internal versus external dichot
omy and proceeds to present a case study of a sound change that reveals the
intersection of system-internal and language-external forces. Specifically
the paper presents an intergenerational analysis of the shift in the MOUTH
diphthong in New Zealand English.