Phonological Variation and Change presents an investigation of a number of areas of current interest in the study of language change, dealing in particular with questions of how patterns of pronunciation vary across both time and space. Most of the illustrative material is drawn from nonstandard dialects of English, especially the varieties spoken in Ireland (Hiberno-English). The theoretical issues discussed include the following: What role do articulatory and linguistic constraints play in determining the direction of sound change? What effect, if any, do standard linguistic norms have on the evolution of nonstandard dialects? How do social and political pressures influence the resolution of competition between conflicting local nonstandard linguistic norms? Besides addressing these general issues, the book also offers new insights into several specific areas in the history of English, both in its standard and vernacular forms.