A B S T R A C T This paper introduces a method for the analysis of regional linguistic variation. The method identifies individual and common patterns of spatial clustering in a set of linguistic variables measured over a set of locations based on a combination of three statistical techniques: spatial autocorrelation, factor analysis, and cluster analysis. To demonstrate how to apply this method, it is used to analyze regional variation in the values of 40 continuously measured, high-frequency lexical alternation variables in a 26-million-word corpus of letters to the editor representing 206 cities from across the United States.

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This study investigated the potential of comprehensive corrective feedback forms as editing and learning tools and examined their effect on learners’ cognitive and attitudinal engagement. Low‐intermediate second language writers (N = 139) were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions (direct corrections of grammatical errors, metalinguistic codes for grammatical errors, direct corrections of grammatical and nongrammatical errors, or metalinguistic codes for grammatical and nongrammatical errors) and a control group (self‐correction). Results from mixed‐effects linear models showed that although direct corrections and codes were effective for enhancing learners’ immediate grammatical and nongrammatical accuracy (i.e., during text revision), a long‐term advantage (i.e., 4 weeks after feedback provision) was only evident for direct corrections. A mental effort measure of cognitive load revealed that participants’ cognitive load was significantly lower when processing direct corrections targeting grammar issues. Questionnaire answers also yielded a significant attitudinal difference between the direct feedback groups and their metalinguistic counterparts. Open Practices This article has been awarded an Open Materials badge. Study materials are publicly accessible in the IRIS digital repository at https://www.iris-database.org. Learn more about the Open Practices badges from the Center for Open Science: https://osf.io/tvyxz/wiki.

This paper reports on a corpus-based analysis of constituent ordering in (Gundel 1988), and rules out any analysis which restricts the constructional meaning of presentative sentences to "introducing an indefinite subject".

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