ABSTRACT
The fifth and final phase in the evolution of postcolonial Englishes is, according to Schneider, characterized by differentiation both sociolinguistically and linguistically which ultimately results in internal variation. Schneider himself notes that variation exists even in earlier phases. Internal variation may surface in many dimensions: First and foremost, language varies with reference to register and genre. Works on PhE phonology have often distinguished features across the lectal continuum. The hallmark of sociolinguistic theorizing is the ascertaining that variation is structured, otherwise what Weinreirch, Labov, and Herzog refer to as ‘orderly heterogeneity’. This chapter determines the systematicity of variation in PhE, most especially stylistic, regional, and sociolectal variation.
