"We focus upon pairs of words very often which are the same in some areas and different in other areas"

This quote by William Labov is describing the research study of linguistics, which is the scientific study of language. Labov is suggesting that linguists often focus on pairs of words that are comparable in some ways and different in other ways. This is since linguists are interested in comprehending how language works and how it is utilized. By studying sets of words that are similar in some methods and various in other methods, linguists can get insight into the structure of language and how it is utilized in various contexts. For example, linguists might study pairs of words that are similar in terms of their spelling but different in terms of their significance, such as "bear" and "bare". By studying these pairs of words, linguists can get a much better understanding of how language works and how it is utilized in different contexts.