Corpus linguistics and sociolinguistics : a study of variation and change in the modal systems of world Englishes In Corpus Linguistics and Sociolinguistics Beke Hansen analyses variation and change in the modal systems of second language varieties of English by taking a sociolinguistic approach to corpus data. Her study focuses on the modal and semi modal verbs of strong obligation and necessity in the South and Southeast Asian varieties Indian English Hong Kong English and Singapore English based on the relevant ICE component corpora. She adopts a typologically informed perspective on variation in World Englishes by comparing the structures of the speakers first languages with the structures of the emergent varieties in the expression of epistemic modality. Beyond this she analyses language change by constructing apparent time scenarios to compensate for the lack of diachronic corpora in World Englishes Previous research The theoretical framework Methodology Obligation and necessity in ENL and ESL The feature pool of obligation and necessity Selection principles in the feature pool Apparent time developments Competition between must and have to Thematic conclusion of the study Methodological implications of the study