Variational Pragmatics: Regional variation across the Englishes

The study of variation in dialectology has long focused on the levels of phonology, lexis and syntax. It is, however, only in very recent years that an interest in variation in the conventions of language in use has emerged. Klaus P. Schneider (Bonn) and I have attempted to promote such research by conceiving variational pragmatics as an area of investigation at the interface of pragmatics and modern dialectology. Variational pragmatics is concerned with the systematic investigation of the effect of different geographical and social factors on language in (inter)action. Five types of language variation are recognised, namely variation in language use according to region, socio-economic class, ethnic idenity, gender and age. My particular interest in the area of variational pragmatics has been on investigating language in use across regional varieties of English, most particularly across the Inner Circle varieties of Irish English, British English and American English.