Stability and Divergence in Language Contact

Download or read book Stability and Divergence in Language Contact written by Kurt Braunmüller and published by John Benjamins Publishing Company. This book was released on 2014-11-15 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Convergence, i.e. the increase of inter-systemic similarities, is usually considered the default development in language contact situations. This volume focuses on the other logical possibilities of diachronic development, namely stability and divergence – two well-attested, but under-researched phenomena. The contributions investigate the sociolinguistic and structural factors and mechanisms that lead to or at least reinforce both types of non-convergence, despite of language contact. The contributions cover a wide range of language contact situations, including standard and non-standard varieties.