Sociolinguistic interpretation of the retention of labial palatalized assimilation before velar consonants in the speech of Saratov residents

the article complements the interpretation of data described in a previously conducted study. It examines the results of a 2025 study on the phonetic phenomenon of palatal assimilation of labial consonants before velar consonants in the speech of Russian-speaking residents of Saratov. The research object is the retention of various phonetic variants in modern Russian, and the subject is the reasons for the retention of this phenomenon in the Saratov regiolect. The aim of the work is to explain the retention of assimilation from a sociolinguistic perspective. The article analyzes some existing linguistic and sociolinguistic interpretations of this phenomenon, identifies contradictions with traditional theories (such as Optimality Theory), and formulates new explanations based on the concepts of social indicators and the additional distribution of non-assimilated forms in the more popular norm variant and assimilated forms. Special attention is paid to the influence of social identity and the historical prestige of phonetic forms as factors affecting the retention of palatal assimilation in the studied region. The study results confirm the importance of the sociolinguistic approach for understanding the mechanisms of preserving regional linguistic features in variants of modern Russian literary language.

palatal assimilation, regiolect, language norm variant, sociolinguistic indicator, sociolinguistic parameter, markedness, optimality theory