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Office, E.E. Linguistic Variable. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60961 (accessed on 23 October 2026).
Office EE. Linguistic Variable. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60961. Accessed October 23, 2026.
Office, Encyclopedia Editorial. "Linguistic Variable" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60961 (accessed October 23, 2026).
Office, E.E. (2026, October 14). Linguistic Variable. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60961
Office, Encyclopedia Editorial. "Linguistic Variable." Encyclopedia. Web. 14 October, 2026.

Linguistic Variable

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A linguistic variable is an abstract unit of linguistic analysis that represents a set of alternative linguistic forms that perform the same function or convey the same meaning within a particular linguistic context [1]. In sociolinguistics, a linguistic variable consists of a variable linguistic feature and its possible variants, where the selection among variants may correlate with social, contextual, or stylistic factors [1]. The concept distinguishes between the underlying variable feature, which is the analytical category used by researchers, and the observable variants, which are the actual forms produced in speech or writing [2]. Linguistic variables are typically examined as patterns of structured variation rather than as instances of random or individual differences in language use.

linguistic variation sociolinguistics language change linguistic variables
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References

  1. Elizabeth Closs Traugott; William Labov, Sociolinguistic patterns. (Conduct and Communication, 4.) Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1972.. Lang. Soc. 1975, 4, 89-107. [CrossRef]
  2. Tagliamonte, S. A. 2012. Variationist Sociolinguistics: Change, Observation, Interpretation. Wiley-Blackwell. https://content.e-bookshelf.de/media/reading/L-600101-0cf3788f5c.pdf
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View Times: 4
Entry Collection: Language and Linguistics
Revisions: 2 times (View History)
Update Date: 22 Oct 2026
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