Contact-induced Change Research Articles

Contact-Induced Complexification in the Gender System of Istro-Romanian

Abstract The paper provides the first description of the borrowing of Croatian collective numerals into Northern Istro-Romanian and explores the consequences of this borrowing for the morphosyntax of the recipient language. It argues that the collective numerals under examination, which are specified as nominative plural feminine in the Slavic model, took on a different structural specification in the Romance replica, in a way that led to a restructuring of the morphosyntactic system, introducing (sub)gender overdifferentiation on just two agreement targets and, thereby, a complexification in this area of grammar. The illustration of this change is placed against the background of the other contact-induced changes that grammatical gender has undergone in Istro-Romanian during the 20th century, which have led to the borrowing of two dedicated forms in distinct inflectional cells and the rise of two separate defective gender values, each the replica of one number value of the Slavic neuter.

The Negative Imperative in Southern Calabria. Spirito Greco, Materia Romanza Again?

Abstract The aim of this article is to investigate a special case of suppletion in the paradigm of the negative imperative in some dialects of southern Calabria. First, we show how these paradigms involve the extension of an original infinitival desinence to a present indicative verb, giving rise to a hybrid imperatival form (Section 2). Second, we claim that this pattern of suppletion does not represent a Romance-internal development but, rather, the outcome of contact-induced change and, in particular, the influence of the local Greek sub-/adstrate (Section 3). Furthermore, we show that these hybrid patterns also provide significant evidence for the formal morphosyntactic equivalence between competing Greek finite and Romance non-finite forms of subordination, a typical Balkanism (Section 4). Finally, we demonstrate that the extension of the Romance infinitival desinence according to an underlying Greek model yields in synchrony an alternation between a suppletive positive imperative and a true negative imperative, a typologically very rare formal opposition (Section 5).

Convergence by Shared Ancestry in Romance

Abstract In many cases of apparent contact-induced change the contribution of genealogical correlation in the language sample and its interaction with processes such as matter and pattern replication are difficult to specify. In order to get a better sense of the relevance of shared ancestry, we quantify the change in similarity since the late Middle Ages in a sample of Romance and Germanic languages with data from a selected grammatical domain (expression of reflexivity). We compare their dynamics to patterns of change of similarity in two contact zones in Europe, namely the British Isles (Dedio et al., 2019) and the Balkans. Concerning the genealogical signal, the results indicate a maintenance and gain of similarity in Romance as opposed to a loss of similarity in Germanic. This hints at the importance of the inherited states, the time since the split from the common ancestor, and subsequent developments. We presume that these factors are likely to be at the origin of the maintenance and increase in similarity observed for the sampled Romance varieties. While this result cannot be generalized beyond the specific case study presented here, the basic approach will contribute to a better understanding of how contact, genealogy and culture interact in shaping the dynamics of linguistic similarity.

Spanish and Ladino in Contact in the United States

AbstractThis study explores contact between Ladino-speaking Sephardim and Spanish-speaking Latinos in New York City and Los Angeles, home to two of the largest factions of each population in the United States. While the retention of postalveolar sibilants [ʒ, dʒ, ʃ] in Ladino, corresponding to velar [x] in Spanish, helps distinguish these varieties, research has demonstrated cases where Sephardim implement the latter phone in lieu of one of the former. That such contact-induced change is a result of interaction between Sephardim and Latinos is further examined in this research. Twenty-five speakers of Ladino participated in two oral-production tasks: within-group and between-group testing. In the former, informants were paired with another speaker of Ladino; in the latter, they were paired with a speaker of Spanish. Data reveal that informants replace postalveolar sibilants with velar [x] at a rate of 18.2% within group and 76.5% between group, when direct equivalencies exist. Statistical analysis demonstrates that production of velar [x], the dependent variable, is conditioned by several independent variables, both social (age, gender, city of residence, interlocutor) and linguistic (type of lexical correspondence and origin of lexicon). Subsequent discussion considers the role of accommodation in determining the ways in which speakers select and implement variation in their speech.

English and the use of the simple past in Dutch

AbstractThe global dominance of English has resulted in contact-induced change in many of the world’s languages. While lexical influence is perhaps the most widespread and the most visible form of change, there are indications that English may also be influencing languages on a structural level. In this article, we investigate a case of potential contact-induced structural change in the verb tense system of Dutch. Non-standard use of the simple past (instead of the standard present perfect) has been noticed for some time, and often linked to English influence. Based on an acceptability judgment questionnaire, we show that there is little evidence for language change in this feature in apparent time, but that judgments do depend on raters’ exposure to English, with higher exposure correlating with more positive judgments. This suggests that contact-induced change through diffusion may be a factor in the use of this construction.

Assessing (a)symmetry in multilingualism: The case of Mano and Kpelle in Guinea

Aims and objectives: The paper studies Kpelle–Mano bilingualism in the broader context of local multilingual repertoires and assesses symmetry in the patterns of language use. Methodology: We combine natural speech sampling with ethnographic observations, interviews, sociolinguistic surveys and elicitation tasks. Data and analysis: The data analyzed includes 88 questionnaire responses, targeted elicitation with 21 individuals, as well as corpus collection and ethnographic observations over the course of fieldwork from 2008 onwards. Findings: Neither Mano nor Kpelle has an overt prestige value. Marriage patterns and economic activity are symmetrical, and both languages can be in certain cases chosen as a means of interethnic communication. However, bilingualism is typically unreciprocated, and the Mano speak Kpelle more often than the other way round. Contact-induced change is almost exclusively unidirectional, with Kpelle influencing Mano. We suggest relative population size as the main explanatory factor. In contrast, both Mano and Kpelle are in an asymmetric relationship with Maninka, which is frequently used by urban Mano and Kpelle speakers. Even if some Maninka claim to speak Kpelle to a certain extent, they rarely use it in real life. Originality: This paper is a report on a previously unstudied multilingual setting. We stress the theoretical and the empirical importance of the patrilect. In addition to its being the defining identity feature, the patrilect is also the main predictor defining the language choice in communication and the volume of the repertoire. Significance: We applied long-term participant observation in various social settings to obtain a fine-grained account of the rules governing language choice, which a typical background questionnaire would overlook. We also sampled natural and elicited speech of L1 and L2 speakers of Mano and Kpelle, a method that yields better results than proficiency tests because it captures interference in grammar, which has far-reaching consequences for contacting languages.

A unified approach to the study of language contact: Cross-language priming and change in adjective/noun order

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: The connection between language contact and the bilingual speaker goes back to foundational authors in the field of contact linguistics. Yet there is very little work that combines these two levels in a single study. In this paper, we propose a unified approach to language contact by testing the role of cross-language priming (CLP) on contact-induced change at the level of complex noun phrases (NPs). Design/methodology/approach: We conducted three studies with different types of data. In Study 1, we analyse the Romani Morpho-Syntax database to identify word order preferences in Romani dialects from different countries. In Study 2, we examine a corpus of interviews in Romani from Romania. In Study 3, we conduct an experiment to test short-term priming in adjective (ADJ)/noun (N) order from Romanian to Romani and within Romani. Data and analysis: In Study 1, we examine the word order in approximately 3000 NPs from 119 Romani speakers. In Study 2, we analyse a speech corpus of 9400 words from four elderly Romani–Romanian bilinguals. In Study 3, 90 Romani–Romanian bilinguals participated in a priming experiment. We used multinomial mixed-effects logistic regression, Bayesian models and Random Forests to analyse the experimental results. Findings/conclusions: Study 1 shows that Romani speakers from Romania stand out for their frequent use of postnominal ADJs. Study 2 confirms these uses in free speech. Study 3 reveals significant CLP effects, whereby speakers favour the use of determiner (DET)–N–ADJ order in Romani immediately following a noun with a suffixed determiner (NDET)–ADJ sentence read in Romanian. Originality: Our study is the first to demonstrate CLP effects in ADJ/N order. Significance/implications: We illustrate a unified approach to language contact by introducing theoretical and methodological advances from the field of bilingualism into the study of contact-induced change.

El sistema pronominal de objeto directo del español en contacto con el zoque de Chapultenango

This research aims to describe the Spanish language in contact with the Chapultenango’s Zoque language. Specifically, it provides evidence around the neutralization of the gender mark in the accusative pronominal system, showing a two-case simplified system in which the direct object pronoun (OD) is lo(s) and the indirect object pronoun is le(s), both of them without gender distinction. Likewise, it shows that this neutralization is an indirect contact-induced change in which internal variation of Spanish interacts with the grammatical structure of the Zoque.

Language contact and morphological competition: Plurals in central Sicily

This paper explores the effects of language contact in the nominal morphology of central Sicilian dialects. In particular, this study is concerned with the contact-induced changes related to the distribution of three plural formatives that give rise to competition between different inflectional classes with respect to a number of lexemes. It is shown that sociolinguistic factors such as speaker age account for the distribution of the competing plural forms and the high degree of variation. As a consequence, a slow and gradual change is leading to the disappearance of the plural form that has no equivalent in the contact language, that is, in Italian.

Greek Influences on Syriac and Contact-Induced Changes: Reflections on a Recent Book

Abstract This paper reviews and comments upon a recent monograph by Aaron M. Butts on linguistic contacts between Greek and Syriac, Language Change in the Wake of Empire: this volume is also used as an opportunity to discuss the expectations for this kind of studies in the future years, and to reflect upon their past. The importance of Butts’ book as a crucial tool for the scholarly community involved in contact-induced studies is here highlighted. Butts offers a most welcome new and thorough analysis of the materials collected by his predecessors and adds his personal new data. This review article also provides a brief recollection of previous studies, that opened the way to Butts’ comprehensive approach.

Control structures in Kokborok: A case of syntactic convergence

AbstractThis paper presents a descriptive study of the control structures in Kokborok, a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Tripura (one of the North-Eastern states in India) and demonstrates the contact-induced changes in the phenomenon of control in Kokborok which resulted due to the long-term contact with Bangla (Indo-Aryan), a genetically different language spoken in the state. The instances of genitive subject and the phenomenon of overt controllee in the embedded subject position in Kokborok are the cases in point. The instance of overt controllee described in this paper points to the deviation from the classic concept of PRO thereby demonstrating a property unique to the study of South Asian languages.

Cross-dialectal diversity in Mukrī Kurdish I: Phonological and phonetic variation

AbstractThis article provides a comparative overview of phonological and phonetic differences of Mukrī Kurdish varieties and their geographical distribution. Based on the examined data, four distinct varieties can be distinguished. In each variety area, different phonological patterns are analyzed according to age, gender, and social groups in order to establish cross-regional and cross-generational developments in relation to specific phonological distributions and shifts. The variety regions which are examined in the present article include West Mukrī (representing an archaic form of Mukrī), Central Mukrī (representing a linguistically peripheral dialect), East Mukrī (representing mixed archaic and peripheral dialect features), and South Mukrī (sharing features of both Mukrī and Ardałānī). The study concludes that variation in the Mukrīyān region depends on phonological developments, which in turn are due to geographical and sociological factors. Moreover, contact-induced change and internal language development are also established as triggering factors distinguishing regional variants.

Loanwords vs relics

Abstract One of the major issues in historical and contact linguistics is how to distinguish between inherited and acquired vocabulary in a given language: both traditional historical linguistics and modern contact linguistics are in this respect eventually forced to resort to inferences. The aim of this paper is to propose a diagnostic test to aid in the identification of putative substratum relics in the lexicon. The method for this test consists in juxtaposing and comparing word families in the source and recipient language. We use the example of Yiddish-Slavic language contact, in which contact-induced changes are still relatively transparent. We employ wordnets – digital networks of lexical entities connected by lexico-semantic relations – in order to visually “map” lexical and semantic relations of transferred lexemes within the recipient language onto the source language. The method allows us to combine contemporary empirical data with historical analysis.

Influence of glass contact induced changes in surface composition of Pt, PtIr and Ir protective coatings on glass adhesion

The previously overlooked influence of glass contact-induced changes in surface composition of Pt, PtIr and Ir protective coatings on glass adhesion is investigated. All coatings, deposited onto sapphire, are subjected to contact with B270® glass at the molding temperature of 680 °C for four hours in vacuum (≤5 × 10−4 Pa). Optical microscopy, electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy reveal an increase in macroscopic glass adhesion which is concurrent with the increase in Pt concentration. Consistent with these macro-scale observations, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicates not only the presence of Pt-O-Si bonds but also an increased Si concentration as the Pt concentration is increased. Furthermore, as a consequence of glass contact, a local increase in Pt concentration and hence evidence for surface Pt-enrichment is obtained. Based on thermogravimetry and XPS data, the as-deposited Ir coating exhibits the presence of a surface oxide (IrO2) that dissociates at the glass molding temperature at a rate of 3.5 wt.% per hour. Hence, IrO2 appears to provide passivation and thus inhibits glass adhesion while the presence of Pt, instigates glass adhesion by Pt-O-Si bond formation.

Contact-induced change of the bandgap of semiconductors of the wurtzite structure

Progress in the synthesis of semiconductors of nanoscale structures has revived an interest in using semiconductors of different structures in the sensing of mechanical deformation through the change of photoluminescent characteristics under external stress/strain. In the heart of the deformation-induced change of photoluminescent characteristics is the deformation-induced change of the bandgap of semiconductors. In this work, we investigate the bandgap changes of bulk semiconductors of the wurtzite structure due to elastic indentation by a rigid, axisymmetric indenter. Using deformation potentials and the analytical solutions for the contact problems, we obtain closed-form solutions of the contact-induced change of the bandgaps for the elastic indentation by three different indenters of flat-ended, spherical, and conical shapes. For the elastic indentation by a flat-ended indenter, the bandgap changes are proportional to the indenter displacement/indentation load. For the elastic indentation by a spherical indenter, the bandgap changes are proportional to the cubic root of the indention load. For the elastic indentation by a conical indenter, the bandgap changes exhibit the characteristic of shape-similarity, independent of the indentation depth/load.

Contact-induced change in the morphosyntax of Turkic in Boldaji, Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari Province, Iran

This paper investigates effects of language contact on a previously undocumented variety of Turkic (Southern West Oghuz) spoken by sedentarized nomads in the city of Boldaji, Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari Province, south-west Iran. Located in an area of high linguistic diversity including the Iranic language Bakhtiari and the Charmahali variety of Persian, Boldaji Turkic exhibits numerous contact-induced features. Here, drawing on data collected using the Atlas of the Languages of Iran (ALI) questionnaire, we focus on variation in five primarily morphosyntactic features, several of which have not figured prominently in the literature on contact-induced change in Turkic: (i) restructuring of vowel harmony; (ii) the postposed emphatic definiteness marker ǰoġɑz; (iii) an additional oblique pronominal stem based on bela- + possessive suffix; (iv) ‘can/be able’ expressions; and (v) a reduplicated progressive verbal form. In line with well-established criteria from contact linguistics, we assess the probability of contact-induced change for these five features by considering differences with other West Oghuz languages outside the area, namely Turkish and Azeri, to rule out an internal explanation. Unlike previous studies, which use standard-type Persian as the contact language, we show the importance of considering model structures in geographically contiguous languages, with a focus on Bakhtiari and the local Persian variety, to account for areal convergence. Finally, we consider the plausibility of various contact-based explanations in the light of our knowledge of related Turkic varieties in the area. Our data bring into question the common view that contactinduced change is preferentially associated with simplification; rather, we find a mix of structural changes involving both loss and gain of morphological matter, and patterns.

Contact-induced change in the morphosyntax of Turkic in Boldaji, Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari Province, Iran

Contact-induced change in the morphosyntax of Turkic in Boldaji, Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari Province, Iran

The Interplay of External and Sociolinguistic Factors in Contact-Induced Language Change: Cappadocian Greek as a Case Study

The Interplay of External and Sociolinguistic Factors in Contact-Induced Language Change: Cappadocian Greek as a Case Study

Contact-induced change and mobility

Abstract This paper takes as its starting point a contact-induced grammatical innovation at the level of attributive predications that has been reported for various Romani speakers, in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and the United States. Adopting a cross-disciplinary approach, we present evidence both from a historical study that documents individual and family itineraries in the Americas during the first half of the twentieth century and from a multi-sited ethnographic study on biographical narratives. These studies reveal the existence of close links among individuals from geographically distant localities. We suggest that, in the absence of normative linguistic institutions, complex multilingual practices seem to have modified grammar at the level of the bilingual speaker and ultimately of the network as a whole. More generally, by considering a less-studied population engaged in transnational mobile practices, we seek to illustrate how mobility allows for linguistic change to spread rapidly and widely.

Complex predicates, simple inflecting verbs, and “uninflecting verbs” in Pre-Basque

AbstractHow might Basque have looked before it came in contact with Latin? This interesting line of research may give us an idea of what the pre-Indo-European languages of Europe might have looked like, and it may help clarify how much contact-induced change Basque might have undergone during the last two millennia or so. The present paper puts forward the hypothesis that, towards the end of the Era (BC), Pre-Basque used to have a small class of verbs. These verbs were inflected for person and tense-aspect (although we know little about the specific characteristics of this inflectional system). Together with this small class of verbs, Pre-Basque had a larger group of uninflecting elements that combined with the inflecting verbs to form complex predicates. The group of uninflecting elements included bare nouns, adjectives, possibly adverbs, ideophones, and what I will call “uninflecting verbs”. The exact nature of these “uninflecting verbs” is hard to determine at this point, but they may have constituted a distinct part of speech. Certainly, this type of verbal organization is reminiscent of one common in Northern Australia. Thus, this paper also compares the reconstruction proposed for Pre-Basque with the verbal system typical in Northern Australian languages, to conclude that the similarities are remarkable and, therefore, that the verbal organization of Pre-Basque was quite different from that of the modern Western European languages, including Modern Basque.