William Labov

Founder of sociolinguistics, who measured language change live in department stores and on an island.

Core Principles & Analysis

• His Martha’s Vineyard and New York department-store studies invented variationist method.
• He demonstrated that African American English is rule-governed, testifying to that effect in court.
• He tracked sound changes in progress, proving language change is observable within a lifetime.

Specifications & Metrics

• ERA: 1927 – 2024