Do People Tweet Like They Speak? A Study of Intraspeaker Variation

Abstract

This study investigates young female speakers from Scotland to determine to what extent they use Scots dialect features in their written tweets and spoken language. It analyses the production of variation in phonology, morphosyntax, and lexis. The study finds that the speakers’ dialect does appear in their written language, to varying degrees. The analysis presents possible explanations for the variation, including influence from extralinguistic factors such as audience and identity. The study shows a need for further research in this field to widen the scope to encompass different genders and geographical regions.