ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we saw that languages vary at all levels of the grammar, and we explored examples, ranging from variation in the sound system to variation at the level of pragmatics. In each case, we noted that there were features in the linguistic context, or linguistic factors, which could be used to describe and predict the use of a given variant. In several of the studies we also saw that characteristics of individual speakers or a group of speakers could be related to linguistic variation. The goal of the current chapter is to explore in greater depth these personal or group characteristics that are linked to variation. The motivation for doing so, of course, is to better understand not only what must vary in language in order to communicate effectively but also what such variation says about the speaker, as an individual and as a member of a group.
