LIN251H1 Lecture 7: Variables and Correlation
Document Summary
Variant: the way a sociolinguistics group changes a variable. Variants: can be the product of different formalities, different speakers, accommodating others, etc. Quantitative analysis of linguistic variation as it correlates with both social factors and linguistic factors. E. g. , the frequency of a speaker choosing one variant over the other vs. a factor such as age, gender, etc. Assumption of variation (orderly heterogeneity) vs. assumption of conformity (homogeneity) The formal theories (of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, etc. ) has an assumption of conformity (that we all have the same linguistics competence) Sociolinguistics believe that there is a variety, but it is orderly. Assumption of orderly structure: rules, constraints, parameters. Describing linguistic variation means identifying the possible variants of a linguistic variable (including the null variant, if relevant) and describing how the frequency of each variant patterns affects the other. Group membership: sex, age, ethnicity, region, level of education. The linguistic variable that you are studying.
