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  • Language Variation and Change: Prof. Dr. Marianne Hundt Wintersemester 2005/06

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    This document discusses language variation and change. It covers topics like language contact between languages, the differences between substrates and superstrates, and the processes of pidginization and creolization. It also addresses language birth through the example of Tok Pisin, and language death at both individual and community levels. Lastly, it discusses sociolinguistic factors like variation in language use depending on solidarity, status, power and formality.

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    This document discusses language variation and change. It covers topics like language contact between languages, the differences between substrates and superstrates, and the processes of pidginization and creolization. It also addresses language birth through the example of Tok Pisin, and language death at both individual and community levels. Lastly, it discusses sociolinguistic factors like variation in language use depending on solidarity, status, power and formality.

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    52 views11 pages

    Language Variation and Change: Prof. Dr. Marianne Hundt Wintersemester 2005/06

    Uploaded by

    avid2chat
    This document discusses language variation and change. It covers topics like language contact between languages, the differences between substrates and superstrates, and the processes of pidginization and creolization. It also addresses language birth through the example of Tok Pisin, and language death at both individual and community levels. Lastly, it discusses sociolinguistic factors like variation in language use depending on solidarity, status, power and formality.

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    of 11

    Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. Marianne Hundt Wintersemester 2005/06

    Language contact
    Prof. Dr. Marianne Hundt Wintersemester 2005/06

    Why does language change?


    Extra-linguistic reasons
    u Social u Interaction u Language

    Intra-lingustic reasons
    u Rule

    contact

    extension u Analogy u Transparency principle u Grammaticalization u Reanalysis u Naturalness

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt

    WS 2005/06

    Language Contact
    (a) Types of language contact
    hostile vs. benign (conquest vs. migration) short-lived vs. long-term mediated vs. direct

    (b) Directionality & agency


    borrowing vs. substratum recipient vs. source-language

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt

    WS 2005/06

    substrate [] a linguistic variety or set of forms


    which has influenced the structure or use of a more dominant variety or language within a community. A substrate language [] is particularly evidenced when a language is imposed on a community, as a result of political or economic superiority, as can be seen in the many varieties of English spoken throughout the world which incorporate characteristics of a mother-tongue, e.g. in India, West Africa. (Crystal, 1991:337)
    VL Language Variation and Change Prof. Dr. M. Hundt WS 2005/06 5

    superstrate [] a linguistic variety or set of forms


    which has influenced the structure or use of a less dominant variety or language within a community. A linguistic superstratum is usually the result of political, economic or cultural dominance []. One of the most noticeable features of superstratal influence is the increased use of loanwords. (Crystal,
    1991:337)

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt

    WS 2005/06

    Pidgin
    Pidgins are formed by two mutually unintelligible speech communities attempting to communicate, each successively approximating to the more obvious features of the others language. [A pidgin is a language] with a markedly reduced grammatical structure, lexicon, and stylistic range, compared with other languages, and which is the native language of no one.
    (Crystal, 1980:264)

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt

    WS 2005/06

    Creole
    A creole is a pidgin language which has become the mother-tongue variety of a speech community, as is the case in Jamaica, Haiti, []. The process of creolisation expands the structural and stylistic range of the pidginised language, such that the creolised language becomes comparable in formal and functional complexity to other languages.
    (Crystal, 1980:89)

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt

    WS 2005/06

    Language birth
    Tok Pisin (pidgin stage) mi go I go yu go you go mi lukim yu I see you yu lukim mi you see me Tok Pisin (creolisation) baimbai you go you will go bambai yu go bai yu go yu bai go grammaticalisation yu bego

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt

    WS 2005/06

    Language death
    u individual

    vs. community level u loss vs. death

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt

    WS 2005/06

    10

    Last speakers
    Nettle&Romaine (2000)

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt

    WS 2005/06

    11

    Last speakers
    Nettle&Romaine (2000)

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt

    WS 2005/06

    12

    Last speakers
    Nettle&Romaine (2000)

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt

    WS 2005/06

    13

    Language death
    u individual

    vs. community level u loss vs. death u death, suicide, murder (Nettle&Romaine) u gradual death, sudden death, radical death, bottom-to-top death (Mesthrie, 2000)

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt

    WS 2005/06

    14

    Recommended Reading
    Aitchison, Jean. 1991. Language Birth. How Languages Begin. In: ibid. Language Change: Progress or Decay? Cambridge: CUP. p. 180-196. Crystal, David. 2000. Language Death. Cambridge: CUP. Nettle, Daniel and Suzanne Romaine. 2000. Vanishing Voices: The Extinction of the Worlds Languages. Oxford: OUP. Sankoff, Gillian. 2002. Linguistic Outcomes of Language Contact. In Chambers et al. Handbook of Language Variation and Change. Oxford: Blackwell. pp. 638-659. Thomason, Sarah. 2001. Language Contact: An Introduction. Washington D.C.: Georgetown University Press.
    VL Language Variation and Change Prof. Dr. M. Hundt WS 2005/06 15

    Conclusion
    Prof. Dr. Marianne Hundt Wintersemester 2005/06

    Parameters of variation and change


    structure
    correlation

    use speaker situation

    linguistic variable

    social variable
    possible outcome

    stable variation

    language variation

    possible outcome

    (ongoing) change

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt

    WS 2005/06

    17

    Sociolinguistic competence
    u u u u u

    repertoire of individual members of a speech community include different varieties of the same language variation described in terms of region, social class, gender, age and ethnicity language acquisition also means: learning how to use varieties of the same language appropriately knowledge involves knowing about the relative status and function of different varieties in the community speakers of a non-standard variety need to acquire knowledge of the standard language as part of their repertoire/ sociolinguistic competence
    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt WS 2005/06 18

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Sociolinguistic dimensions
    u solidarity

    social distance u status power u formality u function

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt

    WS 2005/06

    19

    Sociolinguistic universals
    u solidarity

    + status/power + formality

    u status/power

    u functions

    + solidarity + power

    VL Language Variation and Change

    Prof. Dr. M. Hundt

    WS 2005/06

    20

    Have a nice break!

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