Resumen de A framework for studying languages in contact: a prolegomenon to a theory
Both lay people and linguists use the concept of ‘languages in contact’ in a broad range of different, albeit related, ways. When William, Duke of Normandy, invades England in 1066, he and his followers come speaking Norman French with a profound impact on English. But when 8-year old Christopher moves from Canada to England, his ‘accent’ changes in response to what he now hears around him. In between these two extremes are situations that can all be called language contact. To make sense of the spectrum of language contact, we outline some major dimensions of that concept, and propose positioning research according to how the descriptions and explanations (if any) in the research treat these dimensions. To do this, we model language contact using the idea that language is the (linguistic) behavior of a community whose members communicate with one another. Then, we consider the different ways that contact between such communities can happen, and so develop a scheme for categorizing language contact. We look at some descriptions of language in contact and consider whether they are wholly descriptive, or include an explanation; if explanatory, how does the explanation relate to our model of language as community behavior.
