Linguistic Repertoires: Modeling Variation in Input and Production: A Case Study on American Speakers of Heritage Norwegian

Heritage Norwegian in the American Midwest is documented through a corpus of recordings collected and compiled over time span 80 years, from Einar Haugen’s 1940s via CANS up to present-day authors’ own recordings. This gives an unprecedented opportunity study how minority language changes contact situation, several generations under gradually changing circumstances. Since we also have thorough historical knowledge institutions societal texture these communities, this privileged situation allows us trace various sources input available heritage speakers communities different relevant slots. We investigate quality quantity at times are reflected syntactic production corresponding generational cohorts, focusing on relative ratios specific word orders (topicalization verb second, prenominal postnominal possessive noun phrases) productive morphosyntactic paradigms (tense suffixes loan verbs). Utilizing model relations between output, receptive competence, show input–output effects will accumulate throughout explain observed linguistic change individuals society.