CoE for the Study of Variation, Contacts and Change in English

The Centre of Excellence for the Study of Variation, Contacts and Change in English (VARIENG) investigates language as a social and discursive phenomenon, processes of linguistic change and variationist typology. This research builds on the work and achievements of the Helsinki-based Centre of Excellence funded for 2000-05 and of the Jyväskylä English Voices in Finland project. The new Centre expands its research agenda into language use in contact situations, including relations between English and the national languages of Finland. VARIENG crosses disciplinary boundaries by integrating into the study of language approaches and methods from other fields such as social history, culture and learning research, and computer science. The Centre has more than 40 members from the Universities of Helsinki and Jyväskylä.