This study is an inquiry into the processes of linguistic adaptation. Its purpose was to investigate the factors which are likely to influence change and retention of regional dialects outside of their regional context. Specifically, the focus of the study was on native Oklahoma speech in the Tulare area of rural California. Data were gathered from informal taped interviews of 11 informants representing the middle, lower middle, and working classes. The interviews included a reading selection, which was found to be most useful for comparing dialect feature frequencies of the informants. The study suggests that among the factors influencing linguistic adaptation, social class is the most significant determinant of regional dialect change in a non-regional context. Age at the changing of speech communities and duration of residence also appear to affect the solidification of regional speech forms. The volume includes a contrastive analysis of Tulare and Oklahoma vowel pronunciation. Appendices contain statistical tables and charts, the reading passage used, and words elicited in the interviews. (Author/AM)