Reversing “drift”: Innovation and diffusion in the London diphthong system

Paul Kerswill, Eivind Torgersen, Susan Patricia Fox · 2008 · Language Variation and Change

Summary. This paper examines phonetic changes in London English diphthongs to test Sapir's theory of linguistic 'drift'—the idea that language changes naturally and unconsciously. The researchers found that London reversed a diphthong shift that continued uninterrupted in New Zealand English, disproving drift theory. They argue that social factors and dialect contact, not natural processes, drive language change, particularly in diverse urban centers.

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Kerswill, P., Torgersen, E., & Fox, S. P.. (2008). Reversing “drift”: Innovation and diffusion in the London diphthong system. Language Variation and Change. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954394508000148

@article{kerswill-2008-reversing-drift-innovation-diffusion-london,
  title   = {Reversing “drift”: Innovation and diffusion in the London diphthong system},
  author  = {Paul Kerswill and Eivind Torgersen and Susan Patricia Fox},
  journal = {Language Variation and Change},
  year    = {2008},
  doi     = {10.1017/s0954394508000148},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954394508000148}
}

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TI  - Reversing “drift”: Innovation and diffusion in the London diphthong system
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AU  - Eivind Torgersen
AU  - Susan Patricia Fox
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Details

DOI: 10.1017/s0954394508000148
Countries: United Kingdom, New Zealand
Regions: Europe, Oceania
Categories: innovation-theory, general-innovation
Added: 2026-04-28