Tasks on language variation (for library and WWW research)

1. Terms for language variattion: language, accent, dialect, sociolect, register, jargon, slang, ...
2. Are `franglais' or `Neudeutsch' dialects?
3. Which main dialects exist today?
4. Find sources for dialect maps.
5. In what ways do dialects differ linguistically (phonetics, phonology, ...)?
6. Do dialects diverge or converge in time?
7. Which factors affect standardisation of languages?