I am interested in a number of different aspects of language variation and change.
My doctoral research was concerned with the synthesis between sociolinguistic variation and linguistic theory,specifically usage-based models of linguistic theory. I considered to what extent particular aspects of the usage-based approach can be applied to phonological variation in a community (of practice) in Fife, Scotland, and whether this is a useful additional step to take in the analysis of language variation and change.
More recently, I worked on a project which examined the acquisition of sociolinguistic competence in English among Polish adolescent migrants in Edinburgh and London ("Sociolinguistics and immigration: linguistic variation among adolescents in London and Edinburgh" with Miriam Meyerhoff and Erik Schleef.)
I am currently working on aspects of sociophonetic variation and change in Liverpool English ("Phonological levelling, diffusion and divergence in Liverpool and its hinterland" with Kevin Watson).
Some publications
Pre-publication versions of these manuscripts are available for download here
Clark, Lynn and Graeme Trousdale (in prep.) 'Phonological variation in a Scottish community: method and theory in Cognitive Sociolinguistics'.
Clark, Lynn and Erik Schleef (in prep) 'Attitudes towards varieties of English among Polish immigrants in the UK'.
Schleef, Erik; Clark, Lynn and Meyerhoff, Miriam (in prep) 'Sociolinguistics and immigration: variation among Polish adolescents living in the UK'
Clark, Lynn (in press) 'Dialect data and the usage-based approach'. In de Vogelear, Gunther & Sieler, Guido (eds.) Dialects as a Testing Ground for Theories of Language Change. Studies in Language Variation. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Clark, Lynn & Trousdale, Graeme (2009) The role of frequency in phonological change: evidence from TH-fronting in east-central Scotland'. English Language and Linguistics 13(1): 33-55.
Clark, Lynn (2008) 'Re-examining vocalic variation in Scottish English: a Cognitive Grammar approach'. Language Variation and Change 20 (2): 255-273.
Clark, Lynn (2007) 'Cognitive sociolinguistics: a viable approach to variation in linguistic theory'. In Peter Reich, William J. Sullivan & Arle R. Lommel (eds.) Lacus Forum: 33: Variation. Houston: LACUS
Clark, Lynn (2006) 'A Cognitive Approach to Social Networks'. In Shin Ja Hwang, William J. Sullivan & Arle R. Lommel (eds.) Lacus Forum 32: Networks. Houston: LACUS
