Lecture 8: Pidgins, Creoles, and Language Endangerment

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to language contact, pidgins, creoles, and language endangerment.

Language Contact

Occurs when two or more languages or dialects come into extended contact with each other, reflecting human contact in social settings.

Lingua Franca

Any language used to enable communication between groups of people with differing native languages, either natural or constructed.

Adstrates

Languages in contact that have equal prestige.

Superstrate/Lexifier Language

Language of the dominant group in a language contact situation; provides the lexicon

Substrate

Language of the less dominant group in a language contact situation; typically provides phonological and grammatical features.

Pidgin

Simplified language used in specific interactions such as business, service, and trade, with no native speakers and simpler grammar than source languages.

Creole

A pidgin that has become the native language of a community, developing a thorough and complex grammar.

Language Death

When the last speaker of a language dies.

Language Shift

The process by which a language community adopts another language.