Variation in English

Multi-Dimensional studies (MD) is a new statistical approach to language variation developed by Doug Biber. The methodology involved in this approach means that for the first time, using corpora of spoken and written language from different periods, we can demonstrate how language varies from one type of text to another, for example, how American style varies from British. Doug Biber begins with a discussion of the methodology required and emphasises the new insights into language variation and use that can be gained from the MD approach.

Susan Conrad is an assistant professor in the Department of English and Program in Linguistics at Iowa State University. She is the co-author of Corpus Linguistics- Investigating Language Structure and Use (1998) and the Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English (1999).
Douglas Biber is Regents' Professor of English (Applied Linguistics) at Northern Arizona University. His works include Variation Across Speech and Writing (1988), Dimensions of Register Variation- A Cross-Linguistic Comparison (1995), Corpus Liinguistics- Investigating Language Structure and Use (with Conrad and Reppen, 1998) and the co-authored Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English (1999).