Nikolas Coupland

Sociolinguistic change, vernacularization and broadcast British media

1 Introduction

In this chapter I want to consider the merits and the actualization of two theoretical concepts, sociolinguistic change and vernacularization28. Neither concept is new. Each of them has been invoked explicitly, but fitfully, in sociolinguistic theorizing; some of the value of each concept has been articulated in discussions of other, quite closely related, concepts. Mimicking the slogan used to advertise a well-known tablet computer, we might say that “we already know how to use these devices”. Even so, I think it is true that the utility and importance of each of the concepts has yet to be clearly established. That is, and perhaps similarly ...

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