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Social network structure and language change in Amdo Tibetan

Abstract This article discusses dialectal diversity in Amdo Tibetan using a sociohistorical linguistic framework in which typological variation in related speech varieties is explained as a function of social network structure. It is argued that morphosyntactic and phonological complexity are functions of the complexity of network ties that characterize the community in which languages are spoken. Social network structure influences linguistic development in three ways: a network’s size and constituency determine the synchronic variation that members of the network are exposed to as a whole and that are available to become sources of diachronic change. The nature of the relationships characterizing different network types contributes to the context in which communication takes place, influencing the content of linguistic exchanges. Over time, biases in the interactional functions that linguistic expressions are used to perform favor the selection and development of some features over others. Finally, different social network types are associated with different language attitudes, including awareness and enforcement of linguistic norms. Network type interacts with other social factors to influence the direction of language change.