Reducing standard-language-ideology conflicts through participatory research in historical sociolinguistics

Abstract This paper presents participatory research as a strategy for achieving a publicly engaged historical sociolinguistics, using a case study of collaboration between academic and community partners focused on Cockney in East London. Participatory research methods emphasise involvement by traditional research “subjects” in research design, collection, interpretation, and dissemination. Because historical sociolinguists often work with datasets from language users and speech communities from the past, participatory research may not seem like a viable methodology for a publicly engaged historical sociolinguistics. We challenge the extent to which power and control are shared by academic researchers with communities under prominent models of participatory research, and propose the Complementary Roles Participatory Research Model as an expansion of continua of participatory research that places academics in a support role to researched communities. Through this model, we suggest that fields like historical sociolinguistics which may not have an obvious set of “participants” can nevertheless engage in participatory research. We share our experience of collaboration over several years to support community-led initiatives on Cockney with historical sociolinguistically informed research. We argue that the CRPRM enables scholars in disciplines where pathways to participatory research are not immediately obvious to engage in participatory methods.