In:Dialect on Air: Bahamian Creole in historical radio broadcasts
Diana Wengler
[Varieties of English Around the World G71] 2025
► pp. v–vi
Table of contents
AcknowledgementsVII
List of tablesIX
List of figuresXIII
Chapter 1.Introduction1
Chapter 2.Research background4
2.1A radio soap as source of historical BahCE?5
2.2Decreolization8
2.3The “bad data problem”10
2.4Staged language and the question of authenticity11
2.5Load-bearing and non-load-bearing variables14
2.6Research questions17
Chapter 3.Data and method18
3.1The Fergusons of Farm Road18
3.2Comparative sociolinguistics24
3.3Data preparation and coding27
3.4Statistical analysis33
Chapter 4.Grammatical variables36
4.1Zero copula36
4.1.1Previous research37
4.1.2Coding and methodology41
4.1.3Inferential results52
4.1.4Summary63
4.2Be levelling64
4.2.1Previous research64
4.2.2Coding and methodology67
4.2.3Inferential results75
4.2.4Summary79
4.3Verbal negation79
4.3.1Previous research80
4.3.2Coding and methodology82
4.3.3Results83
4.3.3.1be and have negation83
4.3.3.2do negation85
4.3.4Summary98
Chapter 5.Phonological variables100
5.1Vowel normalization100
5.2Trap, bath, start and palm101
5.2.1Previous research102
5.2.2Coding and methodology104
5.2.3Results107
5.2.3.1Data exploration107
5.2.3.2Linear mixed model109
5.2.3.3Random forest analysis116
5.2.4Summary128
5.3Mouth and price129
5.3.1Previous research131
5.3.2Coding and methodology132
5.3.3Results135
5.3.3.1Data exploration135
5.3.3.2Linear mixed model139
5.3.3.3Random forest analysis143
5.3.4Summary149
Chapter 6.Discussion151
6.1Linguistic, individual and social variation152
6.2Load-bearing and non-load-bearing variables157
6.3Zooming in on the individual speaker164
6.4Decreolization and language change?166
6.5Synthesis171
Chapter 7.Conclusion175
Chapter 8.Appendix177
References183
Index
