| Abstract: | As real‐time language data becomes increasingly available for sociolinguistic research, a growing number of studies are benefitting from it in order to study language changes in progress, some of which even explicitly seek to scrutinize the Apparent‐Time Construct itself. Vanishingly few real‐time studies, however, have focused specifically on stable sociolinguistic variables, leaving an important gap in our understanding of the Apparent‐Time Construct's abilities to model real‐time facts. In an effort to address this gap, the present study analyzes a presumably stable sociolinguistic variable – final /z/ devoicing – in extreme northwestern Indiana through real and apparent time. A series of Varbrul analyses indicate that this variable is, indeed, stable throughout the 20 years of real time covered by the data and that its stability is successfully modeled in apparent time. Additionally, similarities in /z/ devoicing between this community and some other communities where it has also been studied are identified and discussed. |
