What is the difference between language variation and language change?

Cultural awareness and good research skills are key when it comes to language variation. An example of this is the Arabic word 'Qanun' '?????', which literally means 'law.' Most states in the Arab world render this Arabic term into 'law' when translating it into English. Simply put: Qanun = Law. However, in KSA, the word 'law' is given the Arabic term 'Nizam' or '????,' which literally means 'system.' Many novice translators commit the mistake of translating this term into 'system' instead of 'law,' (e.g., translating Nizam al-Amal -or Labor Law- into 'Labor System'. This is were understanding of language variation comes into play.

An example I have seen is the prononciation of 'bread' in Kòlò (a Cameroonian fang-beti language), spoken by many people including Ewondos and Inoas. Ewondos pronounce it /bred/ and write 'brèd' whereas Inoas pronounce it /beled/ and write 'bélèd'. I have also seen this language variation in ghomalá (language in the western region). Their greetings differ from one tribe to another. Example: Bayangam: 'Hám nga'aka? ápià nyá': How are you? I'm fine. Bandjoun: 'Hám ngeukeu? ápieuh nyeuh': How are you? I'm fine.

Language variation is saying same thing differently by using different words or different way within same language. For example dozing off or going to sleep means same thing and both expressions are of English language. Also in sindhi language when people from Hyderabad side need to say I or me they say "ayu" and people from sukkur side say "ma" this is variation in same language.

The term "language variation" is used to describe how languages differ within and across different groups of speakers. It can show up in accents, word choice, and syntax, and it's influenced by things like region, ethnicity, age, etc. Phonetic and semantic analyses are just two examples.

Language variation means different ways to say the same thing and is a set of linguistic items with similar distribution. The most important factors which lead to language variation including occupation, age, sex, class, and ethnicity. Language variation is also influenced by social factors such as the social group or geographic zone. We exploit linguistic variation available to us in order to send a complex series of messages about ourselves and the way we position ourselves in the world. Individuals identify variation in the conversations of others and this is not rarely used to create an opinion about that person. As a result, language variation leads to language attitudes.

Some changes are more gradual and occur over centuries, others are more rapid and occur within a single generation. Despite the inevitability of language change, it can sometimes be controversial or even resisted, particularly by those who feel a strong attachment to traditional language norms or who fear that change may lead to the loss of cultural identity.

Language change is normally understood as diachronic whereas language variation is considered synchronic. Language change and language variation are both determined by the language user.

Diachronic and Synchronic changes in language enable us to understand the evolution of language. Changes across time and at a point of time have developed new words as well as patterns in language.

What we call "language change" today is the result of centuries of development. Caused by internal or external forces like linguistic innovation or language interaction, its evidence can be observed in the evolution of languages, traced through historical sources and comparative studies.

Language change has to do with how language in its structure has evolved over time where as language variation has to do with the reality of its function in its evolution of application within different social and cultural spaces/constructs.

Language variation and language change are two related but distinct phenomena that affect the forms and functions of human communication. Language variation refers to the differences in the use of language across different speakers, groups, regions, or situations. Language change refers to the historical process of how languages evolve, often due to language variation. Some examples of language variation are dialects, accents, registers, styles, and genres. These are influenced by geography, social class, education, occupation, age, gender, and context. Some examples of language Changes are sound shifts, grammaticalization, lexical innovation, and borrowing. ? ????????? ?????????

Language variation refers to the different ways in which language is used by different groups of people, such as different regional dialects, social registers, or different styles of speaking. Language change, on the other hand, refers to the way in which a language evolves over time, with new words, phrases, and grammatical structures being added, and old ones falling out of use. Both language variation and change are natural processes that occur as languages are spoken and used by people in different contexts

Language variation has to do with varieties of language found within a language. While language change are changes that occured over a period of time in particular language.

Language Variation is focussed on regional, social, or contextual differences, how a particular language is used. Whilst language change is linked to the process by which a language evolves over time, often gradually but usually on a permanent basis; thus resulting in differences in its pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and usage from one generation to another one.

Language variation is the playground where language change experiments and evolves, like a dance floor where accents twirl and dialects cha-cha their way into the future.

Language experts classify shifts in usage and development according to size and trend. They can be conventional or unconventional depending on the norms of the community. Another classification is by linguistic divergence: either dialectal, affecting a community, or idiolectal, affecting an individual speaker.

Changes in language usage and development are categorized by experts based on their size and general direction. The norms of the community determine whether or not they are conventional. Language differences can be categorized in two ways: regional (affecting a group of people) or personal (affecting only one person).

Language variation is the colorful tapestry of diverse dialects and accents that enriches a language, while language change is the intricate thread of evolution that weaves through time, shaping the very fabric of communication.

The major reasons for language change and differences have been noted in the previous entries. But a major reason for change—the meeting of two or more different language groups—was not. Think of pidgins and creoles, for examples. There is also stasis in language, as represented by cognates, and writing systems which tend to resist change. As societies grow more populous, complex, and congested, language variation within the principal language group tends to diversify in order to reinforce identity and membership in speech groups. We cannot overlook language planning by governments either.

“Imagine language as a living, breathing thing. Variation is like the different outfits it wears right now—variations are the styles and quirks in how people speak in different places or social groups, like accents or local slang. Language change, on the other hand, is like watching the language grow and evolve over time. It’s the gradual shift in how we speak and write—think about how ‘thou’ and ‘thee’ have become ‘you’ in modern English. This isn’t just about fashion but deep changes in the structure and use of the language over generations.