Ágrip: Í rannsókninni Mál á mannsævi er sjónum beint að tilbrigðum í íslenskum framburði, nánar tiltekið eftirtöldum fjórum pörum þar sem fyrrnefnda afbrigðið er sjaldgæfara á landsvísu og útbreiðsla þess að mestu tengd afmörkuðum landsvæðum: Harðmæli/linmæli, raddaður/óraddaður framburður, hv-/kv-framburður og skaftfellskur einhljóðaframburður/tvíhljóðaframburður. Þróunin er skoðuð frá ýmsum hliðum og markmiðið í senn að kanna hvaða breytingar hafa orðið á tíðni og dreifingu landshlutabundnu afbrigðanna á kjarnasvæðum sínum allt frá fyrri hluta 20. aldar og hvernig mál einstaklinga hefur þróast yfir æviskeiðið og varpa um leið almennu ljósi á málbreytingar.
Efniviðurinn samanstendur af þremur framburðarrannsóknum sem unnið var að á 70 ára tímabili. Tvær þær fyrri, rannsókn Björns Guðfinnssonar á 5. áratug 20. aldar og RÍN, Rannsókn á íslensku nútímamáli, frá 9. áratugnum, voru viðamiklar. Þær bjóða upp á ítarlega athugun á þróun tilbrigðaparanna á þessu skeiði, ekki síst vegna þess að grannskoðun á gögnum Björns leiddi í ljós að niðurstöðurnar má túlka á nákvæmari hátt en hingað til hefur verið unnt. Þróunin er skoðuð í ljósi málfræðilegra einkenna breytileikans, viðhorfa til afbrigða, sem könnuð voru sérstaklega í tengslum við rannsóknina og þróunar samfélagsins. Þannig er leitast við að skyggnast víða eftir skýringum.
Vinna hófst við síðustu rannsóknina árið 2010, RAUN, Málbreytingar í rauntíma í íslensku hljóðkerfi og setningagerð. Með henni er hægt að varpa ljósi á framhald fyrri þróunar, en að nokkru leyti verður sú mynd grófari en á fyrra skeiðinu. Á hinn bóginn býður RAUN upp á svokallaðan rauntímasamanburð því að einstaklingar sem tóku þátt í henni voru áður meðal þátttakenda í fyrri rannsóknum. Elsta fólkið skiptir tugum og í fjölbreyttu úrvali rauntímarannsókna er fáheyrt að svo stór hópur hafi tekið þátt í rannsóknum sem spanna jafnlangt tímabil. Efniviðurinn er nýttur til að skoða málþróun yfir æviskeiðið frá ýmsum sjónarhornum og leita svara við spurningum sem snúa að þessum tilteknu framburðarafbrigðum en hafa einnig almennara gildi. Spurt er hvort sum afbrigði frekar en önnur sæki á eða hörfi yfir æviskeiðið og hvort málfræðilegir þættir eða félagslegir geti átt hlut að máli. Um leið er leitast við að varpa nokkru ljósi á eðli slíkra ævibreytinga, hversu móttækilegt málkerfið sé fyrir breytingum á fullorðinsárum og hvaða kraftar séu þar að verki.
Af þessu má ráða að engin ein tilgáta eða sýn á málfræði og málbreytingar ræður ferðinni í rannsókninni, en það er ekki síst markmiðið að sýna fram á mikilvægi þess að einskorða sig ekki við þröngt sjónarhorn. Þá er sérstaklega horft til þess að félagsmálfræðingar og málkunnáttufræðingar hafa ekki að öllu leyti gengið í takt í rannsóknum sínum, viðhorfum og leit að skýringum á málbreytingum. Hér er róið á mið beggja þessara hópa, reynt að tvinna saman frekar en skilja að. Af þessum sökum er víða komið við í fræðilegri umfjöllum um málbreytingar, stiklað á stóru frekar en að kafa djúpt í einstök atriði. Þannig fæst mynd af víðfeðmi þessa rannsóknarsviðs þó að margra þátta sé ógetið.
Abstract: The research project Mál á mannsævi (“Language in a lifetime”) focuses on the development of four variables or pairs of phonological variants in Icelandic, where one member of each pair is regional. There are two variants from North Iceland, so-called hard speech (“harðmæli” in Icelandic) which is characterized by aspirated stops after a long vowel in words like api, [a:pʰɪ] (‘monkey’), aka, [a:kʰa] (‘drive’), éta, [jɛ:tʰa] (‘eat’), which contrasts with soft speech (“linmæli”), lacking such aspiration. Then there is voiced pronunciation (“raddaður fram-burður”) with voiced sonorants before an aspirated stop in forms like hempa, [hɛmpʰa] (‘cassock’), vanta, [vantʰa] (‘need’), hjálpa, [çaulpʰa] (‘help’). In voiceless pronunciation (“óraddaður framburður”) the sonorants are unvoiced and the stops unaspirated. The variants soft speech and voiceless pronunciation are used by the majority in Iceland. From the south-eastern region there are also two variants. The hv-pronunciation (“hv-framburður”) in words like hvalur, [xa:lʏr̥] (‘whale’) has a voiceless velar fricative [x] in initial position, as opposed to the more common kv-pronunciation (“kv-framburður”) with [khv] in this position. Then there is the monophthongal pronunciation (“skaftfellskur einhljóða¬framburður”) which is a traditional name for long vowels in words like bogi, [pɔ:jɪ] (‘bow’), stigi, [stɪ:jɪ] (‘ladder’), as opposed to the more common diphthongal pronunciation (“tvíhljóða¬framburður”).
The development of these variables is examined from different points of view. The descriptive goal is to find out how the frequency and distribution of each regional variant has changed since the first half of the 20th century. The theoretical goal is twofold: To determine the effect of the different forces that can influence linguistic changes in a speech community and to shed a general light on language change in individuals during their lifespan.
The materials consist of three studies on pronunciation that were conducted over a 70-year period. The first two – a study by Björn Guðfinnsson in the 1940s, and Research on Phonological Variation in Modern Icelandic (acronym: RÍN, “Rannsókn á íslensku nútímamáli”) from the 1980s – were extensive. They offer detailed information on the development of the variables, especially because an examination of Guðfinnsson’s data has revealed that the results can be interpreted more accurately now than was previously possible. The development is studied by focusing on the different linguistic characteristics of the variants on the one hand and by examining sociolinguistic and social factors such as speakers’ attitudes towards the variants and the varying developments of the society in the relevant areas on the other. Thus, the study considers a broad range of internal and external factors in formulating an explanation.
Work began on the last study in 2010, Linguistic Change in Real Time in the Phonology and Syntax of Icelandic (acronym: RAUN, “Málbreytingar í rauntíma í íslensku hljóðkerfi og setningagerð”). With this addition to the earlier studies we can see the continuation of previous developments, but in some ways that image will be less clear than in the earlier period. However, RAUN offers so-called real-time analysis because individuals who participated in it were previously among the participants in Guðfinnsson’s study and/or RÍN. This material is used to view language change over the course of a lifetime from various perspectives and answer questions regarding these pronunciation variants but also has a more general value. The question is why some of the regional variants recede faster than others in the course of a lifetime. To what extent are linguistic factors and to what extent are social forces involved? Thus, the study seeks to shed some light on the nature of such lifetime changes, how responsive the language system is to changes in adulthood, and what forces are at work.
Because of this broad perspective, no single hypothesis or model of language change guides the journey in the study, and an important goal is to demonstrate the importance of not confining yourself to a narrow perspective. Underlying is the view that some kind of a bridge is needed between sociolinguists and generativists as they often use very different methods in their research and search for clarification of linguistic change. For this reason, the theoretical discussion about language change is wide-ranging, covering many topics, rather than delving deeply into a narrow area. We then gain a view of the breadth of this field of research, even though many factors go unmentioned.
The conclusions of the study are multifarious. One can, for example, detect an interesting concordance between urbanisation and economic development on the one hand and dialectical changes on the other, particularly in northern Iceland where these links could be studied in detail. The study also revealed an unexpected development of hard speech in later years, and there is an argument that the social status of this variant has changed or is changing. This local variant is fading but at the same time shows signs of strengthening during a lifetime in much the same way as “clear speech” (skýrmæli). Then it is argued that lifespan changes are more frequent earlier in life and that linguistic factors can influence the diffusion of language change. An important result is the fact that the coexistence of two variants of the same variable can have different effects on the linguistic environment depending on the nature of their differences. In some instances the differences are arguably rule-governed or regular, e.g. the difference between the voiced and voiceless pronunciation of the sonorants in words like hempa, vanta and hjálpa mentioned above. In other cases the differences are lexical, as the difference between the hv-and kv-pronunciation of words like hver ‘geyser’, where the kv-pronunciation makes hver homophonous with kver ‘booklet’, creating a confusing linguistic environment for those acquiring language in an area where both hv- and kv-pronunciaion exist. This difference in linguistic environment can lead to one change being more resilient than another for both new generations and adult speakers, or even for one of the groups and not the other.
The general conclusion of the thesis is therefore that the diffusion of language change is subject to both social and linguistic forces, which sometimes amplify one another.
