Variety

（语言）变体

A term used in sociolinguistics and stylistics to refer to any system of linguistic expression whose use is governed by situational variables. In some cases, the situational distinctiveness of the language may be easily stated, as in many regional and occupational varieties (e.g. London English, religious English); in other cases, as in studies of social class, the varieties are more difficult to define, involving the intersection of several variables (e.g. sex, age, occupation).

社会语言学和风格学用来指任何一个语言表达系统，其用法受情景变项的支配。有的语言变体情景的区别性很容易说明，如许多地域变体和职业变体（例如伦敦英语，宗教英语）；而有的情景，如社会等级的研究，语言变体很难确定，因为涉及多个变项的交叉（例如性别、年龄、职业等）。