Three Waves of Variation Study: The Emergence of Meaning in the Study of Sociolinguistic Variation

TLDR

Sociolinguistic variation has been studied in three waves, first correlating linguistic variables with macro‑sociological categories, then using ethnography to explore local categories, and both treating variation as marking social categories. The article aims to establish a theoretical foundation for a third wave that views variation as constituting a robust social semiotic system. It argues that variable meanings are underspecified, become specific within styles, and that variation both reflects and constructs social meaning, driving social change.

Abstract

The treatment of social meaning in sociolinguistic variation has come in three waves of analytic practice. The first wave of variation studies established broad correlations between linguistic variables and the macrosociological categories of socioeconomic class, gender, ethnicity, and age. The second wave employed ethnographic methods to explore the local categories and configurations that inhabit, or constitute, these broader categories. In both waves, variation was seen as marking social categories. This article sets out a theoretical foundation for the third wave, arguing that (a) variation constitutes a robust social semiotic system, potentially expressing the full range of social concerns in a given community; (b) the meanings of variables are underspecified, gaining more specific meanings in the context of styles, and (c) variation does not simply reflect, but also constructs, social meaning and hence is a force in social change.