Elaborates on an earlier work that shows how the relaxation of certain grammatical constraints provides clues to variation in language usage. Demonstrates how style shifting may contribute to variation. (NCR)

Describes a study concerned with distinguishing certain phonological and morphological features of the three dialects of Occitan, a language spoken in the south of France. Results indicate that variations in pronunciation seem to depend on sociolinguistic, as well as geographical factors, and in fact, related dialects and language cannot be…