Which linguist is known for challenging the wave model by arguing that change starts in big cities and then moves to towns and countryside, with Yorkshire as a core example?

Which linguist is known for challenging the wave model by arguing that change starts in big cities and then moves to towns and countryside, with Yorkshire as a core example?

• A. Trudgill
• B. Webster
• C. Griffon
• D. Caxton

Answer: (A)

Language change often travels through social networks, not just a neat, uniform wave from one place outward. The wave model imagines an origin and then changes spreading in expanding rings, strongest near the source and weakening with distance. Peter Trudgill challenged that idea by arguing that innovations frequently originate in large urban centers—places with dense networks and varied social contacts—and then diffuse to surrounding towns and rural areas, with Yorkshire serving as a core example in his discussions. This urban-origin view helps explain why certain features first appear in cities and are only later picked up in the countryside, rather than always starting in rural areas and moving outward.

Language change often travels through social networks, not just a neat, uniform wave from one place outward. The wave model imagines an origin and then changes spreading in expanding rings, strongest near the source and weakening with distance. Peter Trudgill challenged that idea by arguing that innovations frequently originate in large urban centers—places with dense networks and varied social contacts—and then diffuse to surrounding towns and rural areas, with Yorkshire serving as a core example in his discussions. This urban-origin view helps explain why certain features first appear in cities and are only later picked up in the countryside, rather than always starting in rural areas and moving outward.