Free variation

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In linguistics, free variation is the phenomenon of two (or more) sounds or forms appearing in the same environment without a change in meaning and without being considered incorrect by native speakers.^[1]^[2]

Sociolinguists argue that describing such variation as "free" is very often a misnomer, since variation between linguistic forms is usually constrained probabilistically by a range of systematic social and linguistic factors, not unconstrained as the term "free variation" suggests.^[3] The term remains in use, however, in studies focused primarily on language as systems (e.g. phonology, morphology, syntax).^[4]

^ Clark, John Ellery; Yallop, Colin; Fletcher, Janet (2007). Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology. Oxford: Blackwell. pp. 110, 116–18. ISBN 978-1-4051-3083-7.
^ SIL International. (2003). Glossary of Linguistic Terms. [1]. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
^ Meyerhoff, Miriam (2011). Introducing Sociolinguistics (2 ed.). Routledge. p. 12. ISBN 9781135284435.
^ Kager, René (2004). Optimality Theory. Cambridge University Press. p. 404.

[Clark-1] Clark, John Ellery; Yallop, Colin; Fletcher, Janet (2007). Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology. Oxford: Blackwell. pp. 110, 116–18. ISBN 978-1-4051-3083-7.

[2] SIL International. (2003). Glossary of Linguistic Terms. [1]. Retrieved 2022-09-13.

[3] Meyerhoff, Miriam (2011). Introducing Sociolinguistics (2 ed.). Routledge. p. 12. ISBN 9781135284435.

[4] Kager, René (2004). Optimality Theory. Cambridge University Press. p. 404.

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