Linguistic variation and change in English. Changes from above and changes from below in fifteenth-century English correspondence

      Аннотация: The present study is based on the premise that language is a variable entity and, consequently, it is always subjected to changes. As language is a social means of communication, it is important to take into account how both intralinguistic and extralinguistic factors contribute to linguistic variation. In this research, therefore, I intend to provide a description of the factors and the context in which linguistic variation and change take place so as to apply this theory to the historical material.

Ключевые слова: language variation, changes from above, changes from below, historical sociolinguistics