La variation, plus qu'une écume

The Uses of Language. Words: Meaning and the Lexicon. Morphology. Lexical Variation and Change. Appendix: Language Families of the World. Sounds: Phonetics. Phonology. Phonological Variation. Variation Through Time: Phonological Change. Sentences: Generative Grammer. The Functions of Syntax. Syntactic Typology. Syntactic Variation. Syntactic Change. Growth. Pidgin and Creole Languages. First and Second Language Learning. Language and the Human Species. Language and Civilization. Bibliographic Notes. Bibliography. Index.

The study of language variation in social context continues to hold the attention of a large number of linguists. This research is promoted by the annual colloquia on New Ways of Analyzing Variation in English' (NWAVE). This volume is a selection of revised papers from the NWAVE XI, held at Georgetown University. It deals with a number of items, some of which have often been discussed, others that have been less emphasized. The first group of articles in the volume center on a frequent theme: speech communities as the essential setting for understanding variation in language. Earlier work in linguistic variation dealt for the most part with phonological variation and change. Syntactic and morphological change and variation in syntax are also discussed. A selection on the role of variation in understanding first language acquisition comprises three papers. Articles in the last section of the volume concern theoretical controversy and methodological advances.

This article presents two typologies (or those interested in the study of language in its social context, focusing first on the functions of language and second on the nature and analysis of language variation. In the discussion of the functions or uses of language, six distinct language functions are identified. Language variation is presented in terms of phonological, syntactic and lexical variation as a consequence of such variables as geography, social class and education, gender, ethnicity and age. Examples from the South African context are given throughout the article.