Including older adults in variationist sociolinguistics via mobile self-recording

Abstract

Variationist sociolinguistics has made significant contributions to linguistics and allied fields in the study of language variation and change. Yet within this paradigm, older adults remain understudied. There are non-trivial methodological challenges to collecting language data from the old age population. However, the Covid-19 pandemic led to increasing use of remote data collection methods that could fruitfully be employed with older adults. The MI Diaries project’s rich and growing collection of self-recorded ‘audio diaries’ via a custom mobile app demonstrates the success of this technology. An open-source version of the app, currently in development, will be adaptable to older users. For individuals who feel isolated, sending regular self-recordings to a responsive research team could be socially beneficial. As for variationist sociolinguistics, remote technologies could allow for greater engagement with outstanding  research questions about older adults’ sociolinguistic identities and their participation in language change.