Speakers may choosefrom nearly one hundred possible explicit causal links to encode a causal relation between two propositions. Given these numerous alternatives, why does a language user choose one link over another? This communicative Variation of causal links and possible Information management constraints on that Variation were investigated in a cross-genre study. Occurrences of the causal alternatives 'because' and 'because of were gatheredfrom threegenres: mysteryfiction, biography andlearned/scientific writing. These data were analyzed for evidence of (wo constraints: the management oftopical Information and the management of given/new Information. Although other studies have found that topicality constrains the choice between 'because 1 and 'so', the management of topical Information was found not to be an active constraint for 'because' and 'because of. The analysis revealed, rat her, t ha i the usage of these causal alternatives is constrained by given/new Information management. The findings suggest that Information management is a complex process governed by hierarchically arranged constraints, under the prime directive of effective communication.

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