Li HNini ADunn, Jonathan2022-10-262022-10-262022Li H, Dunn J, Nini A Register variation remains stable across 60 languages. Corpus Linguistics and Linguistic Theory. 0(0). Published Online: 2022-09-201613-70271613-7035https://hdl.handle.net/10092/104619This paper measures the stability of cross-linguistic register variation. A register is a variety of a language that is associated with extra-linguistic context. The relationship between a register and its context is functional: the linguistic features that make up a register are motivated by the needs and constraints of the communicative situation. This view hypothesizes that register should be universal, so that we expect a stable relationship between the extra-linguistic context that defines a register and the sets of linguistic features which the register contains. In this paper, the universality and robustness of register variation is tested by comparing variation within versus between register-specific corpora in 60 languages using corpora produced in comparable communicative situations: tweets and Wikipedia articles. Our findings confirm the prediction that register variation is, in fact, universal.enAll rights reserved unless otherwise statedregister variationcross-linguistic variationcommunicative situationhomogeneityregister similarityJournal Article2022-09-200801 Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing1702 Cognitive Sciences2004 LinguisticsFields of Research::47 - Language, communication and culture::4704 - Linguistics::470404 - Corpus linguisticsFields of Research::47 - Language, communication and culture::4704 - Linguistics::470406 - Historical, comparative and typological linguisticsFields of Research::47 - Language, communication and culture::4704 - Linguistics::470411 - Sociolinguisticshttp://doi.org/10.1515/cllt-2021-0090