New Ways of Analyzing Variation

New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV) is an annual academic conference in sociolinguistics. NWAV attracts researchers and students conducting linguistic scientific investigations into patterns of language variation, the study of language change in progress, and the interrelationship between language and society, including how language variation is shaped by and continually shapes societal institutions, social and interpersonal relationships, and individual and group identities.

The conference originated under the title New Ways of Analyzing Variation in English in October 1972 at Georgetown University; "English" was dropped from the conference title later as languages other than English entered the conference's focus. The most recent meeting, NWAV 51, was held in 2023 in New York City, hosted by Queens College. The next meeting will be held in November 2024 in Miami, Florida, hosted by Florida International University.