Variationist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A professional who analyzes language diversity and its variations among speakers and communities A researcher focused on the impact of social dynamics on language differences and the various forms they take An expert examining the linguistic changes motivated by cultural and contextual factors across different dialects and usages
2. A specialist who investigates the differences and diversity within languages across groups and contexts
3. An academic devoted to exploring how social and regional factors influence linguistic patterns and usage

Etymology: "Variationist" is a plain formation: the noun "variation," with the suffix "-ist" added to name a person who studies or practises something. "Variation" itself comes from Latin "variatio," a noun from "variare," meaning to make different or to diversify, which in turn comes from "varius," meaning varied or changing, and English took the noun in the late Middle Ages from Old French. The suffix "-ist" comes from Greek "-istes," a marker of a person who does or follows something, as in "artist" or "scientist." Attaching it to "variation" produces a term for a specialist in how language varies across speakers, regions, social groups and contexts. The word is a technical coinage built on familiar parts, so its meaning follows directly from them.

Synonyms: diversity expert, variation researcher, linguistic variation specialist, sociolinguist, dialectologist