28.3516, Review: General Linguistics; Sociolinguistics: Matras, Bakker (2016)

Thu Aug 24 17:16:37 UTC 2017

LINGUIST List: Vol-28-3516. Thu Aug 24 2017. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 28.3516, Review: General Linguistics; Sociolinguistics: Matras, Bakker (2016)

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Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2017 13:16:34
From: Farah Ali [farah636 at gmail.com]
Subject: Contact Languages

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Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/27/27-4177.html

EDITOR: Yaron  Matras
EDITOR: Peter  Bakker
TITLE: Contact Languages
SUBTITLE: A Comprehensive Guide
SERIES TITLE: Language Contact and Bilingualism [LCB]
PUBLISHER: De Gruyter Mouton
YEAR: 2016

REVIEWER: Farah Ali, State University of New York at Albany

REVIEWS EDITOR: Helen Aristar-Dry

SUMMARY

This edited volume aims to provide an overview of different types of contact
languages by means of historically contextualizing them, outlining their
communicative functions, and summarizing their most common linguistic
features. Additionally, as stated by the editors, apart from outlining the
various types of contact languages, this volume also aims to approach these
unique linguistic varieties from an historical perspective as well as from a
sociolinguistic perspective. Given these objectives, this volume dedicates
five sections to addressing different types of contact languages, while two
additional sections aim to address contact languages from an
historical/genealogical perspective, as well as a sociolinguistic perspective.

The first - and aptly chosen - contact language to be discussed is pidgins (by
Mickael Parkvall and Peter Bakker). In this chapter, the authors discuss a
variety of proposed definitions of what a pidgin is, and propose a list of the
most salient characteristics of pidgins. Given the finite lifespan of this
variety of contact languages, the authors also discuss the life cycle of the
pidgin, from its first moments born out of contact, to its eventual death or
evolution into a creole language. The authors also highlight some of the
common linguistic features of pidgins, going beyond the phonological, lexical
and morphosyntactic features and also discussing pragmatic and stylistic
features as well. Finally, they also discuss factors that may favor their
emergence and spread.

The chapter that follows (by Angela Bartens) smoothly transitions into a
discussion of creole languages, opening with an examination of the
socio-historical contexts that surround creole development, followed by a
review of theories on creole genesis. Bartens also dedicates a section to more
current investigation in creole studies, such as the need for historical and
anthropological studies to account for the cultural components of
creolisation. Finally, the author provides a detailed description of the
phonological, morphological, syntactic and lexicosemantic features of creoles,
drawing on numerous examples from a variety of languages in each category. 

The third type of contact language to be discussed is mixed languages (by
Felicity Meakins). In addition to defining mixed languages and providing
detailed descriptions of numerous examples, Meakins also attempts to provide a
means of classifying mixed languages according to their degree of grammatical
mixing. In addition to discussing the features of mixed languages, including
sociolinguistic features such as mixed languages as an ethnic marker, mixed
language genesis is also examined with the presentation of a wide variety of
both unidirectional and fusion approaches. Finally, Meakins discusses current
issues in the study of mixed languages; one particularly interesting area is
the argument for the status of mixed languages as an autonomous language
system in which Meakins examines specific criteria such as linguistic
stability, its independent development from source languages, and the presence
of structural elements from both source languages.

Multi-ethnolects are discussed in the subsequent chapter (by Jacomine Nortier
and Margreet Dorleijn). The authors define multi-ethnolects, distinguishing
them from ethnolects, as well as the socio-political circumstances in which
they occur, such as migration and urbanization. While linguistic features are
discussed, the authors also focus their attention on stylistic features,
drawing on Thomason’s (2001) proposed mechanisms of interference and their
application to multi-ethnolects. Finally, the authors cite examples of various
multi-ethnolects across the globe and examine some of the emerging questions
in this field of study, one of which includes the question of the
multi-ethnolect’s place among other contact languages. 

The chapter discussing written language intertwining (by Lars Johanson) is a
unique one in its focus in that it deals with language contact through written
mediums. Johanson aims to present an overview of this phenomena, drawing on
evidence from written letters and older literate societies to show how these
languages interrelate. Because of the relative importance of prestige attached
to each language, Johanson classifies languages into five Types (A-E) in terms
of not only their prestige but also in terms of how they are used in
comparison with their partner language. Much of this chapter, then, deals with
the functions of these languages and the degrees of influence that one
language has over another, depending on its Type. 

April McMahon premises the chapter on the genetic classification of contact
languages with the argument that language contact and linguistic
classification are incompatible. McMahon is critical of a number of methods
used in linguistic classification, such as the Comparative Method and various
theories surrounding language change. McMahon also deals with approaches to
classifying specifically contact languages, but points out that many of these
approaches are problematic, and - in the concluding remarks - calls for the
reprioritization of historical and comparative linguistics in terms of what is
a normal versus anomalous language, which in turn could bring contact
languages out of the periphery and into a more central position in the study
of language classification. 

The final chapter of this volume (by Donald Winford) deals with the social
factors involved in shaping contact languages. Winford discusses the situation
of bilingual mixed languages as well as intertwined languages and their
correlation to the social contexts and motivations from which they emerge.
Winford also examines less stable situations of bilingualism and discusses the
process of convergence and the formation of ‘converted’ languages that
manifest from these unstable and disparate conditions. Second language
acquisition is also discussed in terms of pidgin and creole formation as well
as the socio-historical factors that favor their emergence. Finally, Winford
discusses the status and function of contact languages, citing their presence
in media and education as evidence of the increasing acceptance of contact
languages, and the need to revise language planning and policies to reflect
this shift in status.

EVALUATION

This volume has a number of merits which make it a worthy read for any scholar
who is interested in familiarizing his/herself with practically any aspect of
contact languages, such as their distinguishing features, linguistic and
social factors that influence their emergence and development, as well as
traditional and more current theories relating to contact language genesis.
Because of the level of detail found in each chapter, this book would be more
useful to scholars who are already acquainted with some of the more basic
concepts surrounding contact linguistics, as a more novice student may find
the magnitude of information and the complexity of the discussions to be
overwhelming.

One of the greatest strengths of this volume is the overall coherence in
themes throughout the book. An important underlying theme that resurfaced in
each chapter was the idea of redefining contact languages and how they are
understood, thereby challenging the reader to reconsider traditional
parameters for their classification, not only in terms of their place
alongside each other as contact languages, but also with respect to their
place among other languages. 

It is also worth referring back to Donald Winford’s reference to Weinrich’s
1953 book on contact languages. As stated in Winford’s chapter, Weinrich’s
goals for language contact studies involved the inclusion of psychological and
sociocultural settings in order to gain a better understanding of the nature
of contact languages. Winford also comments on the tendency for scholars to
devote their attention to the structural aspects of language contact while
disregarding the sociocultural contexts from which they emerge. This is an
important point because this present collection manages to successfully take
on an holistic approach to language contact by presenting a balanced
examination of both the structural and social aspects that define and shape
contact languages.

Another asset of this volume is the depth in which each author presents
contact languages. While many publications aiming to introduce contact
language focus on only pidgins and creoles, it is commendable that this volume
also includes contributions pertaining to other types of contact languages
such as mixed languages, multi-ethnolects, and - even more unique - written
intertwining languages. Additionally, each chapter draws on numerous and
diverse examples of contact languages to illustrate their explanations or
support their arguments. Contact languages are a global phenomena and it is
critical for any comprehensive guide such as this one to reflect that extent
of diversity.

One critique that could be offered, however, is that while the volume as a
whole is cohesive in its overall themes, there is a lack of structural and
contextual uniformity from one chapter to the next. For example, only the
chapter on creole languages gave a very detailed account of syntactic
features, while the remaining chapters provided a more general overview.
Additionally, the varying formats and topics of discussion in each chapter may
lead the reader to infer varying objectives from each author, which takes away
slightly from the overall consistency of the volume. Applying a more
systematic method of organization to each chapter would allow the reader to
more easily compare and distinguish each type of contact language.

Given the previously stated objectives of providing an overview of contact
languages and examining them from both historical/genetic and sociolinguistic
perspectives, each contributor executed these goals, going above and beyond a
general overview and giving a very thorough account of contact languages,
their emergence, functions and features. This collection forms an exhaustive
volume on contact languages in a way that not only thoroughly summarizes and
challenges traditional theories and models pertaining to this field of study,
but also provides newer approaches to analyzing contact languages, their
origins, and methods of classification, and as such, lays the framework for
further investigation on contact languages. 

REFERENCES

Thomason, Sarah Grey. 2001. Language Contact: An Introduction. Edinburgh:
Edinburgh University Press.

Weinrich, Uriel. 1953. Languages in Contact: Findings and problems. (New York:
Linguistic Circle of New York). The Hague: Mouton.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Farah Ali is currently a student at SUNY Albany, pursuing her PhD in Spanish
Linguistics. Her research interests include sociolinguistics, contact
linguistics, bilingualism, and second language acquisition.

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