LING 1020 Chapter 11

language contact

Interaction between speakers of different languages.

dialect levelling

reduction of differences distinguishing regional dialects or accents

contact-induced change

pidgins and creoles; languages that emerge out of the contact between the speakers of (usually) more than two different languages

pidgin

a language variety that is not very linguistically complex or elaborated and is used in fairly restricted social domains and for limited social or interpersonal functions

creole

used for speakers' day to day needs, is a full-fledged language, and arises out of a contact situation

lexifier

the language that provided most of the vocabulary

substrate

the languages other than the lexifier that are present in pidgin or creole formation; they often contribute to the grammatical structure or constrain syntax and semantics