Tying together work on a number of languages and linguistic varieties in different locales, this book provides students and researchers with a convenient, unified overview of variationist analysis in linguistics. An ideal textbook for an introductory course on variation, as well as a useful resource for scholars, the volume introduces the basic concepts of variationist linguistics and includes key discussions on language change, language contact, the different types of variation, multivariate analysis with GoldVarb, and variation in sound and grammatical systems.

James A. Walker is Associate Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at York University in Toronto. His area of research is the quantitative analysis of sociolinguistic variation, including interests in language contact, bilingualism, ethnicity, pidgins and creoles, as well as the relationship among phonology, morphology, and syntax.

Chapter 1: Introduction. Chapter 2: Variation and Variables. Chapter 3: Variable Rule Analysis. Chapter 4: Multivariate Analysis with GoldVarb. Chapter 5: Variation in Sound Systems. Chapter 6: Variation in Grammatical Systems. Chapter 7: Language Change. Chapter 8: Language Contact. Chapter 9: Conclusion.