When we communicate with others, we share a lot more information than what is captured by the meaning of the words we speak. The way we speak conveys information about identity- the places we've been, the people we've been around, the way we see ourselves. When children learn to communicate, they're not just learning the simple mechanics of articulating a word or constructing a sentence. They learn how to speak like themselves, and who they imagine themselves to be. I am interested in how children learn to produce socially meaningful linguistic variation. I want to know how children develop the ability to wrangle their phonetics into something that expresses their personal identity. When do children talk more similarly to the people they're exposed to? How intentional are their changes in speech? What aspects of children's speech reflect their personal identity or experiences?