Stability and Divergence in Language Contact
Factors and Mechanisms
Editors
Convergence, i.e. the increase of inter-systemic similarities, is usually considered the default development in language contact situations. This volume focuses on the other logical possibilities of diachronic development, namely stability and divergence – two well-attested, but under-researched phenomena. The contributions investigate the sociolinguistic and structural factors and mechanisms that lead to or at least reinforce both types of non-convergence, despite of language contact. The contributions cover a wide range of language contact situations, including standard and non-standard varieties.
[Studies in Language Variation, 16] 2014. vi, 298 pp.
Publishing status:
© John Benjamins
Table of Contents
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IntroductionKurt Braunmüller | pp. 1–10
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Part I: Theoretical aspects
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Linguistic stability and divergence: An extended perspective on language contactKaroline Kühl and Kurt Braunmüller | pp. 13–38
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Convergence vs. divergence from a diasystematic perspectiveSteffen Höder | pp. 39–60
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Part II: Empirical studies
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Stability and convergence in case marking: Low and High GermanKristian Berg | pp. 63–76
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Towards a typological classification of Judeo-Spanish: Analyzing syntax and prosody of Bulgarian judezmoSusann Fischer, Christoph Gabriel and Elena Kireva | pp. 77–108
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Despite or because of intensive contact? Internal, external and extralinguistic aspects of divergence in modern dialects and ethnolects of DutchFrans L. Hinskens | pp. 109–140
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Stability in Chinese and Malay heritage languages as a source of divergenceSuzanne Aalberse and Francesca Moro | pp. 141–162
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Does convergence generate stability? The case of the Cypriot Greek koinéStavroula Tsiplakou | pp. 163–178
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Gender and noun inflection: The fate of ‘vulnerable’ categories in Northern NorwegianHilde Sollid, Philipp Conzett and Åse Mette Johansen | pp. 179–207
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Dialect stability and divergence in southern Spain: Social and personal motivationsJuan-Andrés Villena-Ponsoda and Antonio-Manuel Ávila-Muñoz | pp. 207–238
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The Bergen dialect splits in twoHelge Sandoy, Ragnhild Lie Anderson and Maria-Rosa Doublet | pp. 239–264
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Diachronic convergence and divergence in differential object marking between Spanish and PortugueseHans-Jörg Döhla | pp. 265–290
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Person index | pp. 291–294
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Subject index | pp. 295–298
“Among the linguistic studies of contact-induced variation/change this book occupies an exceptional position. Whereas research on contact between languages and intralingual varieties traditionally focuses on convergence as a kind of natural effect of language contact and/or claims that stability is only possible when there is/was no contact at all, this book demonstrates that (1) language contact may go together with structural stability and (2) language contact may even initiate or reinforce diverging structural developments. It gives an insight into the factors and mechanisms which may trigger stability or divergence, including both sociolinguistic and structural parameters of language contact situations.”
Johan Taeldeman, University of Ghent
“Due to its innovative approach and its focus on stability and divergence in diachronic development as two under-researched phenomena, this book occupies an outstanding position in the existing literature on contact linguistics, presenting cutting-edge research on the phenomena under investigation. The authors convincingly show that both stability and divergence occur not only independently of language contact, but also as its direct outcome, taking into account both sociolinguistic and structural factors and mechanisms.”
Lelija Socanac, University of Zagreb, on Linguist list 26.4751, 2015
Cited by (15)
Cited by 15 other publications
Calindro, Ana Regina
Khachaturyan, Maria, George Moroz & Pe Mamy
Ballarè, Silvia & Massimo Cerruti
Bianconi, Michele & Robin Meyer
Grünke, Jonas, Bistra Andreeva, Christoph Gabriel & Mitko Sabev
Keydeniers, Darlene, Suzanne P. Aalberse, Sible Andringa & Folkert Kuiken
Pollock, Matthew
Silva-Domínguez, Carme
Marley, Alexandra
Letsoalo, Napjadi & Johannes Ratsikana Rammala
Trudgill, Peter
Bouzouita, Miriam, Anne Breitbarth, Lieven Danckaert & Melissa Farasyn
2019. Chapter 1. The determinants of diachronic stability. In The Determinants of Diachronic Stability [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today, 254], ► pp. 1 ff.
Evans, Nicholas
2019. Chapter 26. Linguistic divergence under contact. In Historical Linguistics 2015 [Current Issues in Linguistic Theory, 348], ► pp. 564 ff.
Ávila-Muñoz, Antonio-Manuel
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 24 september 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.
Subjects
Main BIC Subject
CFB: Sociolinguistics
Main BISAC Subject
LAN009050: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / Sociolinguistics