The Diffusion of Switch-Reference Systems through Language Contact: SR System Transfer versus Morpheme Borrowing

Abstract

This paper examines the transfer of switch reference systems and morphology in three language contact situations - Coastal Papua New Guinea, The Gulf Region of the U.S.A. and Australia. In this paper, I discuss possible factors influencing the occurrence of either system or morphological transfer or both in each situation, as well as offer evidence that morphological transfer involving switch reference may be more common than so far acknowledged in the literature. Several possible scenarios for how SR may be transferred are also given. The data for this paper come from published sources on the languages discussed, with the theoretical conclusions I offer based on the implications of the data considered.