Much of linguistic theory assumes the existence of an “ideal speaker/hearer” of a given language. However, in the real world, there is an enormous amount of variability driven by differences in language background, regional affiliation, social identity, and the situational context. This course examines the sources of variation contributing to each individual's style(s) of speaking, and outlines the strategies used by listeners to cope with this variability during speech perception. Students will gain hands-on experience with data analysis, experiment design, and through close reading of current literature, will become familiar with the current debates and open questions in the field.