Abstract
This paper introduces a method for the analysis of regional linguistic variation. The method identifies individual and common patterns of spatial clustering in a set of linguistic variables measured over a set of locations based on a combination of three statistical techniques: spatial autocorrelation, factor analysis, and cluster analysis. To demonstrate how to apply this method, it is used to analyze regional variation in the values of 40 continuously measured, high-frequency lexical alternation variables in a 26-million-word corpus of letters to the editor representing 206 cities from across the United States.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 193-221 |
Number of pages | 29 |
Journal | Language Variation and Change |
Volume | 23 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2011 |
Bibliographical note
© Cambridge University PressKeywords
- regional linguistic variation