Sociolinguistic Variation and Style Shifting in Second Language Acquisition 1

This paper presents empirical data (collected from nine Thai ESL learners) to support the claim that there is sociolinguistic variation and style shifting in interlanguage phonology, just as there is in the phonology of any natural language. The study addresses several theoretical questions: 1. Is interlanguage more permeable to a superordinate rule system in formal than in informal situations? 2. If it is more permeable, does the native language or the target language act as the superordinate rule system? 3. Does phonological transfer follow the sociolinguistic rules of the native language? 4. Does Monitoring operate on a continuum, increasing in formal contexts, and thereby producing a style shift? The findings are consistent with the point of view that interlanguage becomes permeable to a superordinate rule system in formal situations. In these data, the target language (English) acted as the superordinate rule system when the variable examined had no social meaning in the native language (Thai), but when the variable was in fact strongly marked for social value in Thai, the native language (Thai) was adopted as the superordinate rule system. The latter style shifting involved transfer of a socially appropriate variant. Finally, it was found that monitoring (attention to speech) and conscious Monitoring with a learned phonological rule operated on a sliding scale, increasing in formal contexts, and resulting in a style shift.