This document discusses sociolinguistic concepts related to language variation, including:
- Varieties include languages, dialects, accents, registers, and styles of a language. Variation occurs at the lexical level through slang and levels of formality.
- Dialects are regional or social varieties of a language characterized by their own phonological, syntactic, and lexical properties. They can also be associated with ethnic groups or socioeconomic classes.
- Registers or styles are varieties of language used in particular social settings defined by levels of formality or social events like baby talk.
- An idiolect is the unique language use of an individual person influenced by various dialects, registers, and languages