Labov

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An American linguist who pioneered the study of how language varies across social groups and founded the field of variationist sociolinguistics
2. A sociolinguist noted for research on language change and the speech of New York City, known for pioneering quantitative methods in linguistics
3. The American scholar whose empirical studies of dialect and social class made him a founding figure in modern sociolinguistic research

Etymology: William Labov (born 1927) is an American sociolinguist, and "Labovian" is the adjective that followed from his name. The word "labov" in this sense is a surname used for the person, not a word with its own pre-existing history, so its origin is simply his family name. Labov's research, beginning with his 1960s study of speech on Martha's Vineyard and his survey of New York City department stores, established methods for studying how language varies across social class, age, and style, and these methods became central to the field. Because "labov" names a person, the term is best understood as an eponym, a word taken from a real individual. Its usage is informal, mostly found in linguistics writing, where it can refer to his work or to someone following his approach.