A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Metathesis in Azeri Language

This study tries to investigate the correlation between sociolinguistic parameters such as sex, age, and social class and the use of metathesis in Azeri. There have been few studies from a sociolinguistic perspective on the use of metathesis. Through studying the stigmatized forms of speech in Azeri, the present study indicates that a significant relationship exists between extralinguistic variables and metathesis as a phonological process. The subjects of the study were Azeri speakers living in different districts of Tabriz categorized by three socioeconomically different groups. The statistical analyses of data indicate that there is an intimate and reciprocal relationship between linguistic behavior and social structure.