Language Change and Variation in Gibraltar: (23 IMPACT: Studies in Language, Culture and Society)

While much has been written about Gibraltar from historical and political perspectives, sociolinguistic aspects have been largely overlooked. This book describes the influences which have shaped the colony’s linguistic development since the British occupation in 1704, and the relationship between the three principal means of communication: English, Spanish and the code-switching variant Yanito. The study then focuses its attentions on the communicative forms and functions of Gibraltarian English. The closing of the border between Gibraltar and Spain (1969-1982), which effectively isolated the colony, had important social and linguistic repercussions. This volume presents the first full account of the language attitudes and identity of a new generation of Gibraltarians, all of whom were born after the border was re-opened. Adopting a variationist approach, this study analyses the extent to which the language use and phonetic realisations of young Gibraltarians differ from those of previous generations and the factors conditioning language variation and change.

Table of Contents:
1. Maps; 2. Tables; 3. Figures; 4. Abbreviations; 5. Acknowledgements; 6. Chapter 1. Introduction: English, Spanish...and Yanito; 7. Chapter 2. The speech community of Gibraltar: Past and present; 8. Chapter 3. Fieldwork, methodology and analysis; 9. Chapter 4. Language choice, competence and attitude; 10. Chapter 5. Gibraltarian English: Vowels and diphthongs; 11. Chapter 6. Gibraltarian English: Consonants; 12. Chapter 7. Summary and conclusions; 13. References; 14. Index

Review :
This study of a possible ongoing language shift in Gibraltar provides an excellent literature review, a succinct recapitulation of the history of Gibraltar and its various linguistic influences, a theoretically sound variationist account of language change in young Gibraltarians, and a set of conclusions that point toward a shift from Spanish to English. A detailed bibliography and a useful index complement this fine volume. What makes this volume especially useful and valuable is the fact that its chosen territory and population are small so that it is easy to carry out detailed research. The complex nature of interactions between history and sociolinguistic conditions is put convincingly on display in this monograph study by David Levey. [...] The book is overall well-produced and proof-read, with a clear presentational style and judicious use of tables and diagrams. As the first major study of Gibraltar's present sociolinguistic situation in all its variability and flux, it makes an important methodological and empirical contribution to the understanding of such 'outpost' English varieties and their historical conditions. It can be stated that Levey's study is a most welcome contribution indifferent ways. It provides many useful insights for he field of contact linguistics and at the same time it is a sound description of another variety of English within the sociolinguistic-varietionist framework. Admittedly, there is still room for further research, as the linguistic analysis is restricted to the phonetic-phonological level. The overall structure of the book is straightforward and clear. The historical development and the present sociolinguistic situation in Gibraltar are described in a very detailed way and form a solid basis for the sociolinguistic analyis of Gibraltarian English, equally carried out in an expert fashion. In this monograph on language contact in Gibraltar, Levey makes an important contribution to the understanding of the phonetic state of youth in the British colony. Aside from the few orthographic errors, this book is well organized and well written. The historical summary of the contact situation is a great strength of this book; the accessible presentation of this information facilitates an understanding of why language change may be taking place.The study is innovative and interesting, and the line of inquiry used in the book invites further research into language change on the Rock. Of great interest is further research regarding the current state of the other two modes of communication used in this British colony, namely Spanish and Yanito. El present libro has sabido aunar la investigación puramente sociolingüística y fonética con otras disciplinas como la historia y la sociología por lo que su lectura es, a la vez, amena y rigurosa.