Free variation in linguistics is the phenomenon of two (or more) sounds or forms appearing in the same environment without a change in meaning and without being considered incorrect by native speakers. Examples from English include: Broadly conceived, linguistics is the scientific study of human language, and a linguist is someone who engages in this study. ... First language (native language, mother tongue) is the language a person learns first. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
glottalization of voicelessstops in word-final position: for example, the word stop may be pronounced with a plain unaspirated [p], [stɑp], or with a glottalized [pˀ], [stɑpˀ]
the word economics may be pronounced with /i/ or /ɛ/ in the first syllable; although individual speakers may prefer one or the other, and although one may be more common in some dialects than others, both forms are encountered within a single dialect and sometimes even within a single idiolect
In the lambda calculus, x is a bound variable in the term M = λ x.
Variables bound at the top level of a program are technically freevariables within the terms to which they are bound but are often treated specially because they can be compiled as fixed addresses.
Similarly, an identifier bound to a recursive function is also technically a freevariable within its own body but is treated specially.
Variables are often contrasted with constants, which are known and unchanging.
Variables are useful in mathematics and computer programming because they allow instructions to be specified in a general way.
Usually, a variable is set to reside in some scope in program code, and entrance and leave of the scope coincides with the beginning and ending of a variable life, respectively.
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