Abstract Narrative Sociolinguistic research of the past two decades has established, in a rigorous quantitative way, numerous patterns of socially conditioned linguistic variation among individual speakers, and between identifiable dialect communities. Still open to question, however, is a comprehensive theoretical explanation of this phenomenon. The aim of the project proposed here is to move in the direction of such an explanation, in the context of a study of Black English Vernacular (BEV) in an urban setting (Detroit). Social Network Theory (SNT) is the framework which will be used. This theory seeks causal social variables not in the standard social categorizations such as age, education, and socioeconomic level, but rather in the depth and breadth of individuals' attachments to and involvement in their local communities. These are explored by tracing out the networks of their relationships with others. SNT will be supplemented in the present project by the development of a Vernacular Culture Index, which assesses the individual attitudes toward the community. The investigator will examine a number of linguistic variables known to be salient as markers of BEV as a distinct dialect of English, and correlate the incidence of them with the speakers' profiles according to the SNT. Some pilot work has indicated that SNT scores are highly predictive of the incidence of these variables. If the full study bears this out, it will be a significant contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of linguistic variation and change. The Principal Investigator is an experienced and accom- plished sociolinguist. As a member of the minority community himself, he has a particular advantage in gaining access to the BEV speakers who will participate in the project. The pilot work he has already carried out helps assure confidence that the project can and will lead to successful results.
