Abstract

This study is a general presentation of the phenomenon of linguistic variation, from the point of view both of its empirical reality and of its semiotic, linguistic and socio-pragmatic analysis. We distinguish initially between the interest in research into the invariant form, which has characterized strict linguistics, and the orientation of sociolingüístics towards the study of variation; between the concentration on the referential value of language as an arbitrary symbol and the concentration on the connotative value of language as an index of social relations; between the limitation on the consideration of category alternation (allophony) and research into structured variation (sociolingüístic variables); and between variation of a statistical character (such as the ones just mentioned) and variation based on discrete oppositions. The linguistic realities defined by the study of variation—styles, levels of language, natural varieties, registers—must be described not only in terms internal to the linguistic system but also in their relation to the social and sociocultural context; this terminological diversity reflects on occasions different linguistic modalities, and on others distinct methodological approaches, among which we stress the importance of the ethnography.

Abstract

Aquest estudi proporciona una visió panoràmica de les obres i els articles publicats als països de parla alemanya sobre qüestions de sociolingüística catalana. Recull, principalment, treballs dels últims vint anys i n’ofereix una classificació seguint els corrents d’investigació més importants de la sociolingüística moderna. L’objectiu de l’article és doble: resumir la gran quantitat d’obres sociolingüístiques i donar-les a conèixer a un públic catalanoparlant i, alhora, avaluar també qualitativament els treballs existents.

Abstract

This paper comments and reflects upon the inherent nature of time during any linguistic realization, and therefore during variation. This happens aside from the abstractions made by a sincronicity due to the descriptive methodology used or due to the theoretical premises that propose a sincronicity.