Summary of important knowledge regarding the topic of "Language Contact" in bullet points. The book includes the following: Historical development of language, language contact + mixing, Language contact, direct an indirect borrowing, contact explanations, linguistic predictors, Integration of Loanwords, othe contact phenomena, code switching, lexical borrowing, Pidgins and Creoles (...).
Table of Contents
1. Language Contact
2. Handout Seminar
3. S. Thomason
3.1 WHAT
3.2 HOW
3.3 WHERE
4. Contact Explanations
4.1 Linguistic Predictors
5. H. Hock
5.1 Pidgins (fast, 2 generations)
5.2 Creoles
6. J. Holm: Contact and Change
6.1 Pidgins
6.2 Creoles
7. Contact Linguistics
8. P. Muysken: Scenarios for Language Contact
9. D. Winford: Contact and Borrowing
9.1 Lexical Borrowing
9.2 Integration of Loanwords
10. Structural Elements
11. Constraints
12. Structural Patterns
13. Other Contact Phenomena
14. Contact I (R. Mesthrie)
14.1 Contact and Borrowing
14.2 Language Maintenance
15. Contact II (Mesthrie)
15.1 Creoles and Pdigins
15.2 Pidgin
15.3 Creoles
15.4 New English Varieties
16. Code-Switching (Mesthrie)
17. Code-Switching (Myers-Scotton)
17.1 Structure
17.2 Bilingual Speech
18. Contact Phenomena
19. Sociolinguistics
20. Conclusion
21. Code switching (Gardner-Chloros)
21.1 Tendencies
22. Language interaction
23. Structural and social influence
24. Disglossia
25. Language Contact (Appel/Muysken)
25.1 Language Maintenance and Shift
26. Code-switching
27. Language Contact and Change
28. Lexical Borrowing
28.1 Typology
28.2 Determinants
28.3 Grammatical constraints
28.4 Difference to code-mixing
28.5 Language death
29. Pidgins and Creoles
Research Objectives and Themes
This collection of seminar notes explores the multifaceted field of contact linguistics, focusing on the outcomes of linguistic interaction such as borrowing, language shift, and the genesis of pidgin and creole languages. The primary goal is to examine how social factors, structural constraints, and individual speaker competence influence the way languages converge, diverge, or disappear when in contact.
- The mechanisms and typologies of lexical and structural borrowing.
- The sociolinguistic conditions that lead to language maintenance or shift.
- Theoretical models of code-switching and bilingual speech production.
- The historical and linguistic development of pidgins into creole languages.
- The role of power relations and social identity in language contact outcomes.
Excerpt from the Book
Language Contact
Historical development of language = gradual process of change -> divergence
Speakers separated => development of dialects, separate languages
Linguistic families, mother and daughter languages
Language contact + mixing
Footnote in historical linguistics
Gradual evolution and sudden change
No mother and daughter languages in interacting
Summary of Chapters
Language Contact: Introduces the basic concept of language evolution through divergence and the fundamental role of language contact in historical linguistics.
S. Thomason: Examines what constitutes language contact, how it occurs through historical events like colonialization, and where social factors dictate stability.
Contact Explanations: Analyzes the diachronic and synchronic causes of linguistic changes, establishing criteria for contact-induced change.
H. Hock: Provides a concise overview of code-switching, pidgins, and the expansion process known as creolization.
J. Holm: Contact and Change: Details the historical emergence of pidgins as emergency languages and creoles as native languages in colonial settings.
Contact Linguistics: Discusses the professionalization of the field since the 1950s and the theoretical factors for selecting features during contact.
P. Muysken: Scenarios for Language Contact: Challenges traditional family tree models and emphasizes the interaction between social and structural causes of change.
D. Winford: Contact and Borrowing: Distinguishes between borrowing (language maintenance) and interference (L2 acquisition and language shift).
Lexical Borrowing: Offers a detailed classification of loanwords, loan shifts, and creations, along with the integration processes into the recipient language system.
Structural Elements: Explores the strict limitations on transferring structural elements and the confirmed hierarchy of borrowing (nouns to verbs).
Constraints: Investigates the sociopolitical and linguistic factors, such as prestige, power relations, and typological distance, that restrict or facilitate borrowing.
Structural Patterns: Looks at significant structural borrowing and the potential for creating mixed languages through long-term convergence.
Other Contact Phenomena: Reviews concepts like relexification and the role of "folk linguistic engineering" in identity signaling.
Contact I (R. Mesthrie): Focuses on the definitions of shift, maintenance, and the various ways language death can occur.
Contact II (Mesthrie): Explores the linguistic structure of pidgins and the specific developmental stages of creolization.
Code-Switching (Mesthrie): Analyzes code-switching through sociolinguistic models like CAT and the markedness model by Myers-Scotton.
Code-Switching (Myers-Scotton): Deep dives into the Matrix Language Frame model and the motivations behind intrasentential switching.
Contact Phenomena: Discusses convergence, attrition, and the ongoing debate regarding the social vs. individual level of language contact.
Code switching (Gardner-Chloros): Defines code-switching as a feature of stable bilingualism and emphasizes its role as an insider activity.
Language interaction: Discusses common nouns as the most frequent items borrowed and the prestige-driven nature of language change.
Structural and social influence: Reaffirms that power struggle at the social level is a primary driver for asymmetrical language contact.
Disglossia: Briefly defines the use of two closely related dialects within a single community.
Language Contact (Appel/Muysken): Summarizes the factors behind language maintenance and shift, including economic status and institutional support.
Code-switching: Compares sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic perspectives on the capacity to switch languages.
Language Contact and Change: Reflects on the lack of consensus on borrowing and compares language to either a "system" or a "bag of tricks."
Lexical Borrowing: Provides a concluding typology of borrowing, determinants like intensive bilingualism, and the distinction between code-mixing and integration.
Pidgins and Creoles: Final overview of the simplified linguistic systems and the theories behind their genesis, such as the bioprogram.
Keywords
Language Contact, Borrowing, Pidgin, Creole, Code-Switching, Language Shift, Language Death, Bilingualism, Relexification, Matrix Language, Sociolinguistics, Linguistic Interference, Typology, Markedness, Language Maintenance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this text?
The text provides a comprehensive overview of contact linguistics, examining how languages interact, influence each other, and undergo structural or lexical changes through processes like borrowing and code-switching.
What are the central thematic areas covered?
Key themes include the distinction between borrowing and interference, the social and political factors behind language maintenance and shift, the formation of pidgins and creoles, and the structural constraints that govern language contact.
What is the primary objective of this documentation?
The aim is to synthesize various academic viewpoints on language contact, offering a structured summary of mechanisms, linguistic predictors, and theoretical models used to explain outcomes like convergence and divergence.
Which scientific methods are primarily utilized?
The text relies on a combination of historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, and discourse analysis, utilizing both diachronic and synchronic approaches to analyze language change.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body details specific models such as Myers-Scotton’s Matrix Language Frame, historical case studies, typologies of borrowing, and the distinct phases of creolization and language attrition.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as language contact, code-switching, borrowing, pidginization, creolization, linguistic interference, and language shift.
How does the text distinguish between borrowing and imposition?
Borrowing involves a recipient language speaker adopting foreign material, whereas imposition occurs when a source language speaker influences a second language due to less proficiency in the latter.
Why is code-switching often seen as an "insider activity"?
Code-switching is interpreted as an insider activity because it relies on the shared linguistic repertoire and social identity of bilingual participants to convey nuanced meanings within a specific group.
- Quote paper
- Antje Holtmann (Author), 2014, Language Contact, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/277966
