Overview

Language contact - the linguistic and social outcomes of two or more languages coming into contact with each other - has been pervasive in human history. Whether or not we are aware of it, we as humans always deal with language contact. Bringing together contributions from an international team of scholars, this two-volume Handbook represents the state-of-the-art in the field of language contact. The first volume focuses on population movement and language change, and the second volume looks at multilingualism and population structure. Each of the two volumes start with an introduction outlining the history of the research in the field. They are then organised into thematic parts, and cover the processes, theoretical issues and outcomes involved in a range of language contact situations worldwide. Easy-to-read yet wide-ranging in scope, the Handbook is essential reading for anybody interested in how people behave linguistically in multilingual or multilectal settings.

Full Product Details

9781107174870

Table of Contents

Reviews

'In this two-volume Cambridge handbook, Mufwene and Escobar have assembled four dozen novel studies on linguistic change, as induced or conditioned by migration, language contact, multilingualism and population structure. This hefty new reference work provides an important resource on language change in the living context of human societies.' George van Driem, Chair of Historical Linguistics, University of Bern 'What a treasure! - two volumes, 47 chapters, written by the foremost authorities, dazzling in the depth and breadth of its coverage of all aspects of language contact. A truly monumental contribution, destined to be the go-to reference for decades to come.' Lyle Campbell, University of Hawai'i, Manoa 'With its global scope and inclusive approach, this work offers the most comprehensive overview of language contact to date. With contributions from leading specialists in each topic and region under the leadership of Mufwene and Escobar, the Handbook provides authoritative and state-of-the-art coverage of a vibrant and rapidly evolving field.' Stephen Matthews, University of Hong Kong

Author Information

Salikoko S. Mufwene is the Edward Carson Waller Distinguished Service Professor of Linguistics at the University of Chicago. His current research is on the phylogenetic emergence and speciation of languages, and on language vitality. His books include The Ecology of Language Evolution (CUP, 2001), Iberian Imperialism and Language Evolution in Latin America (U of Chicago Press, 2014), and Bridging Linguistics and Economics (CUP, 2020). He is the founding editor of Cambridge Approaches to Language Contact. Anna Maria Escobar is Professor Emerita at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Through the study of grammatical change, her work focuses on the emergence of contact-induced linguistic outcomes and minoritized Spanish varieties. Her long-term project focuses on the making of Andean Spanish, with colonial and post-colonial corpora.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available