ABSTRACT
Quantitative approaches to the study of language variation have been strongly influenced by the sociolinguistic methodologies established by Labov’s (1982 [1966]) study of the speech community of New York’s Lower East Side. The sociolinguistic variables that have been pursued and studied in subsequent work have often used the non-linguistic variables that Labov investigated as their primary focus. This has led to some valuable findings both within and across cultures, and perhaps more importantly provided the field of linguistics with a framework for reaching out and borrowing the methods and existing insights from other fields as a means of enlightening and furthering linguistic praxis. Indeed, much of the essential early work in sociolinguistics research was conducted by extending the frameworks and interests of other fields such as anthropology and sociology.
