The Acquisition of English L2 Sociolinguistic Variation

The chapter provides a synthesis of research on the acquisition of English second language (L2) sociolinguistic variation across main areas of variation: phonological, morphophonemic, syntactic, and discourse-pragmatic, as well as on attitudes to L2 sociolinguistic variation. The chapter examines both linguistic and social constraints on the acquisition of English variation patterns by L2 learners, providing specific examples from research on various linguistic features, including T-glottaling, TH/DH variation, GOOSE fronting, TD deletion, ING variation, and be like variation, among others. Based on the review of research, the chapter provides a number of conclusions about the acquisition and use of English sociolinguistic variation patterns by L2 learners, as well as suggestions for future research.