According to the variationist approach, variation can be followed by change,
but this does not mean that all variation leads to change. Within the framework
of variationist approach, can you give an example of a variation which has not
turned into a change?
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With an aim of purification in Turkish, the linguists tried to omit all the words that have foreign origins from the language. According to their prescription, the equal Turkish word for “tren” (train) was “alttan ittirmeli üstten tüttürmeli çok oturgaçlı götürgeç”. This kind of variation, of course, has not been followed by a change in vernacular because people could not easily replace the acquired and fossilized words with the newly dictated words, even piles of words that sounded rather funny. So, it seems to me that change in a language is a matter of genuine need.
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