Language Contact, Creolization, and Genetic Linguistics

by Sarah G. Thomason, Terrence Kaufman

Ten years of research back up the bold new theory advanced by authors Thomason and Kaufman, who rescue the study of contact-induced language change from the neglect it has suffered in recent decades. The authors establish an important new framework for the historical analysis of all degrees of contact-induced language change.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction

428 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Simon Goldenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though they get a few things (quite) wrong in the particulars, I appreciated how low-down the tone is, probably very shocking to Italian readers. "we cheerfully admit it when we can't explain something. We also acknowledge, albeit not cheerfully, that overarching models that use a small number of a ions and try to explain everything annoy us" (also, a little later:) "Either way we win."
Very fun.

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a common-sense perspective on how the interaction between languages influences the development of each. For many years, languages were seen as isolated, and historical linguistics focused on internal patterns to explain language change. The authors of this book explain how interference from another language can influence a language, in varying degrees of contact. I appreciated all of the examples from diverse contact situations. It was amazing to me to read through the section at the end, by far the most in-depth example, of the history of the English language. This is a must for anyone interested in historical linguistics. It cleared up a lot for me. I'd also like to see where current research is in this area, since this book was written in the early 1990s based on research mostly from the 70s and 80s.