LanguageContact.docVIP

Language Contact Abstract: Languages have been in contact for thousands of years, as soon as people speak more than one language. Language contact is everywhere: there is no evidence that any languages have developed in total isolation from other languages (Thomason 2001). In modern society, with frequent social and geographic mobility, language contact is inevitable. Some language contacts are more stable, with both languages being maintained, at least over the short run, leading to bilingualism. However, the current situation is more often unstable: urbanization, industrialization, migratio