ABSTRACT
The objective of this chapter is to show language variation in terms of the more traditional approach using the major social variables of social class, gender, ethnicity, and group membership and social networks. This chapter provides a brief overview of the three waves of variationist linguistics and goes into detail in the area of linguistic gender studies. This includes a review of some of the positions on just what effect gender has on language, but also the well-known topics of semantic derogation, exclusive-inclusive language, generic pronouns, amount of speech and dominance behavior, and much more. The chapter also observes the dimensions of solidarity, power, and politeness in the framework of modes of address. The more traditional areas of regional dialect studies and ethnicity are only treated briefly, as aspects of these topics occur elsewhere in the book.
