The speech community

The speech community (SpCom), a core concept in empirical linguistics, is at the intersection of many principal problems in sociolinguistic theory and method. This paper traces its history of development and divergence, surveys general problems with contemporary notions, and discusses links to key issues in investigating language variation and change. It neither offers a new and correct definition nor rejects the concept (both are seen as misguided efforts), nor does it exhaustively survey the applications in the field (an impossibly large task)

Competing creole transcripts on trial

A criminal prosecution of Jamaican Creole (JC) speaking ‘posse’(=gang) members in New York included evidence of recorded speech in JC. Clandestinerecordings (discussions of criminal events, including narration of a homicide) wereintroduced at trial. Taped data were translated for prosecution by a non-linguist nativespeaker of JC. Defense disputed these texts and commissioned alternative transcriptionsfrom a creolist linguist, who was a non-speaker of JC. Prosecution in turn hired anothercreolist, a near-native speaker of and specialist in JC, to testify on the relative accuracyof both sets of earlier texts. Differing representations of key conversations weresubmitted to a non-creole speaking judge/jury, both linguists testified, and defendantswere convicted. The role of linguistic testimony and practice (especially transcription)in the trial is analysed. A typology of linguistic expertise is given, and effects of thelanguage’s Creole status and lack of instrumentalization on the trial are discussed

Non singular bounce in modified gravity

We investigate bouncing solutions in the framework of the non-singular gravity model of Brandenberger, Mukhanov and Sornborger. We show that a spatially flat universe filled with ordinary matter undergoing a phase of contraction reaches a stage of minimal expansion factor before bouncing in a regular way to reach the expanding phase. The expansion can be connected to the usual radiation- and matter-dominated epochs before reaching a final expanding de Sitter phase. In general relativity (GR), a bounce can only take place provided that the spatial sections are positively curved, a fact that has been shown to translate into a constraint on the characteristic duration of the bounce. In our model, on the other hand, a bounce can occur also in the absence of spatial curvature, which means that the timescale for the bounce can be made arbitrarily short or long. The implication is that constraints on the bounce characteristic time obtained in GR rely heavily on the assumed theory of gravity. Although the model we investigate is fourth order in the derivatives of the metric (and therefore unstable vis-a-vis the perturbations), this generic bounce dynamics should extend to string-motivated non singular models which can accommodate a spatially flat bounce.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figure

Speakin' and Spokin' in Jamaica: Conflict and Consensus in Sociolinguistics

Proceedings of the Nineteenth Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society: General Session and Parasession on Semantic Typology and Semantic Universals (1993

Dialect acquisition of glottal variation in /t/: Barbadians in Ipswich

This article considers dialect contact and second-dialect acquisition by adult and child Barbadian English speakers converging towards an East Anglian variety of English. We examine glottal variation in word-final /t/, comparing the local dialect of Anglo ('white') speakers in Ipswich to that of Barbados-born speakers living there, and to British English varieties more generally. We investigate this variable using instrumental analysis and consider (i) whether its use by Ipswich Anglo urban speakers indicates diffusion, (ii) whether its patterning among Barbadian immigrant speakers reflects dialect acquisition and (iii) how methodologically secure the received wisdom is concerning one of Britain's most often-studied sociolinguistic variables of recent years. We briefly consider the social context for the English and Barbadian varieties, review the literature on glottal variants of /t/ in British urban dialects, and examine those environments most commonly studied for the variable, and the usual explanation for its relative frequency across them. We then compare the Ipswich Anglo and Barbadian data and reconcile the two patterns in an interpretation which finds both ethnically-aligned contrasts and agreement on norms local to Ipswich. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Stable Variation in Apparent Time: Coronal Stop Deletion in East Anglian English

The linguistic variable (t,d) – word-final /t,d/ deletion in consonant clusters C(C)T/C(C)D – is widely investigated in US dialects (e.g. Guy 1980, Patrick 1991). Conversely, little research on this phonological variable has been carried out in the UK, where (t,d) was mainly researched in Northern varieties of British English, as in York (Tagliamonte and Temple 2005), Manchester (Baranowski and Turton 2020) and in Tyneside English (Woolford 2018). Conflicting results were found with respect to the morphological effect among British English varieties: in York, morphological class failed to reach statistical significance, whereas findings from Manchester and Tyneside exhibit the usual robust morphological effect. This paper investigates (t,d) deletion in the South East of England and sets out to (a) shed light on the unsolved problem of morphological effect in British English; (b) propose a more fine-grained analysis of the following phonetic segment. Despite contributing the greatest effect on (t,d) in most American and British studies, stops, fricatives and nasals are not examined separately in the following phonetic environment, yet they are commonly grouped as obstruents. This distinction is commonly made in the preceding environment even though it is considered a “tertiary constraint” (Guy 1980:20). In the fine-grained analysis of the following environment that we propose, we break down the obstruent category further and we also split fricatives distinguishing between sibilants and non-sibilant fricatives

Coupled currents in cosmic strings

We first examine the microstructure of a cosmic string endowed with two simple Abelian currents. This microstructure depends on two state parameters. We then provide the macroscopic description of such a string and show that it depends on an additional Lorentz-invariant state parameter that relates the two currents. We find that in most of the parameter space, the two-current string is essentially equivalent to the single current-carrying string, i.e., only one field condenses onto the defect. In the regions where two currents are present, we find that as far as stability is concerned, one can approximate the dynamics with good accuracy using an analytic model based on either a logarithmic (on the electric side, i.e., for timelike currents) or a rational (on the magnetic side, i.e., for spacelike currents) worldsheet Lagrangian.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure

CLOSING THE TECHNOLOGY GAP: PARTNER FORCE DIGITAL TOOLS FOR INFORMATION ADVANTAGE, PROJECT I-SHARE–INFORMATION SHARING, AND HOSTING ADVANCED REMOTE ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENTS

Includes Supplementary MaterialProject ISHARE validated the theory that partner force data-sharing platforms require early iteration with foreign partners to ensure suitable design and create long-term adoption. Strategic competition requires reassessing how U.S. SOF cultivates operational relationships and shares critical data and information between partners. The operational relationships developed by SOF teams must modernize through secure digital tools to merge physical and digital personas for persistent engagement and information sharing. The project assessed two emerging platforms with partners in the Philippines. Survey results indicate that both platforms could be effective for operational use but lack sustainable connectivity for remote areas. The results highlighted that 55% of partner force respondents use unsecured apps to share data with U.S. SOF. Additionally, 66% of respondents agreed that the Civil Knowledge Integration-Tactical Assault Kit (CKI-TAK) or Field Information Support Tool (FIST) would reduce their dependence on unsecured platforms. Survey results, including respondents from over 25 nations, confirmed that partner nations do not provide their forces with the necessary digital tools for COP development and secure data sharing. The in-country assessments inform recommendations to develop next-generation secure partner force data-sharing platforms at the edge for both Mil-Mil and Civ-Mil coordination and use such platforms as a deterrence mechanism in Taiwan.Outstanding ThesisMajor, United States ArmyMajor, United States ArmyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Lensing Properties of Lightlike Current Carrying Cosmic Strings

The lensing properties of superconducting cosmic strings endowed with a time dependent pulse of lightlike current are investigated. The metric outside the core of the string belongs to the $pp$--wave class, with a deficit angle. We study the field theoretic bosonic Witten model coupled to gravity, and we show that the full metric (both outside and inside the core) is a Taub-Kerr-Shild generalization of that for the static string with no current. It is shown that the double image due to the deficit angle evolves in an unambiguous way as a pulse of lightlike current passes between the source and the observer. Observational consequences of this signature of the existence of cosmic strings are briefly discussed.Comment: 21 pages, LaTeX-REVTeX, 7 figures available upon request, preprint # DAMTP-R94/1

Primordial magnetic field and spectral distortion of cosmic background radiation

The role played by a primordial magnetic field during the pre-recombination epoch is analysed through the cyclotron radiation (due to the free electrons) it might produce in the primordial plasma. We discuss the constraint implied by the measurement or lack thereof COBE on this primordial field.Comment: to appear in International Journal of Mod. Phy