 Welcome to VLC 205 Varieties of English, a course which introduces students of linguistics to general aspects of language variation and to variation within present-day English. It integrates recent studies into dialectal variation of present-day English, in particular two projects, William Labov's Atlas of North American English and the Global Mutong de Groyter Project Varieties of English. VLC 205 involves, among others, the discussion of present-day English vowel systems, of principles of sound change, of morphosyntactic variation in present-day English and of English-based pigeons and creoles. To cope with such complex topics, it presupposes that you are familiar with several topics beforehand. For example, with phonology, where you should be familiar with the definition of vocallic and consonantal systems and the principles of phonological variation. If you aren't, we recommend to self-enroll to VLC 105 to brush up your knowledge in phonology. The same applies to English grammar, where you should have mastered the main aspects of English morphology and syntax. If not, you can use VLC 201, the structure of English. This can be used as a starting point to come to grips with aspects such as present-day English word order or the use of pronouns in present-day English. However, this does not mean that you have to take these courses before you tackle VLC 205. Our recommendation, though, is to self-enroll to these courses and to access the information if and when required. Let us now look at the content of VLC 205. If you have an account on the Open Educational Resources VLC website, which is, of course, free, accessing the repository is simple. Just log in with your personal data and you will find the repository on your personalized dashboard or in your course overview. A click on the bottom of the VLC tile leads you to the repository start site, where you have access to all topics, starting with a preliminary section with advice and help on how to use VLC 205. The repository is subdivided into three central parts. A theoretical part, where the main principles of dialectology are introduced, for example, data sampling, phonemic transcription and language variation, in particular the principles of phonological change. Part two focuses on those varieties of English that are part of the so-called inner circle, that is, English in the United Kingdom and Ireland, in North America, as well as in Australia and New Zealand. The final part of VLC 205 looks at English elsewhere, dealing with those non-native varieties where English is used as a second or official language and at those varieties where English made contact with other languages, that is, English-based pigeons and creoles. This list of topics is updated and quality assured on a regular basis. Furthermore, all parts are supported by dialect maps with multimedia material from the VLC Language Index and from special VLC 205 databases to make available sound and video data whenever required. And our teaching and learning concept, while studying online on the virtual linguistics campus simply means go through each unit at your own pace, select a topic, and tick off the activities you have worked through and make use of as many VLC options as possible. And if you don't know what to do first, use the how to proceed options at the beginning of each unit. And as most of you know, each unit should be finished with a mastery test where you can earn your personal VLC badges. Maybe you prefer using your mobile device? If so, feel free to download the Moodle app, log in and study where and whenever you want. Well, that's it. As usual, the rest is up to you. Thanks for your attention and see you on the virtual linguistics campus.