This Element documents the evolution of a research program that began in
the early 1960s with the author's first investigation of language change
on Martha's Vineyard. It traces the development of what has become the
basic framework for studying language variation and change. Interviews
with strangers are the backbone of this research: the ten American
English speakers appearing here were all strangers to the interviewer at
the time. They were selected as among the most memorable, from thousands
of interviews across six decades. The speakers express their ideas and
concerns in the language of everyday life, dealing with their way of
earning a living, getting along with neighbors, raising a family - all
matters in which their language serves them well. These people speak for
themselves. And you will hear their voices. What they have to say is a
monument to the richness and variety of the American vernacular,
offering a tour of the studies that have built the field of
sociolinguistics.