Sociolinguistics - Language Contact

SOCIOLINGUISTICSLanguage Contact

Ahmet Mesut Ateş

March 20, 2013Applied LinguisticsKaradeniz Technical University

Language Contact in "Sociolinguistics" by Ahmet Mesut Ateş

Before moving on…

Monolinguala person who speaks only one language

Bilinguala person who can speak two languages

Multilinguala person who can speak more than one language

Bilingualismthe process of a monolingual learning a second language

Polygota person who is capable of speaking and writing several languages with a hight level of proficiency


When two languages are not enough…

When bilinguals fail to communicate properly with their interlocutors they can resort to one or more of the following avenues:

1. Use a third language2. Mix the two languages3. Use different languages for different purposes

Thus we can suggest that bilingual problems between interlocutors lead to:

– Lingua Franca– Pidgin (Creole)– Code-switching


Outcomes of language contact

Lingua Franca

• Language Z used for communication

Pidgin• Language X and

Y are mixed

Code Switching

• Language X and Y are used successively

Language XMeets

Language Y


1 Lingua Franca

Lingua Franca is a language used between two interlocutors but is not the first language (or native tongue) of either of the interlocutors.

Many Languages throughout the history served as lingua franca:– Chinese– French– Arabic– Turkish– English

We can conclude that mainly political and economical power defines the Lingua Franca.


1.1 English as an International Language

English as a «second language» or «foreign language»?

Second Language: any additional language used in a country for communicative purposes. Foreign Language: any language learned after native (mother) tongue.

English is the second language in French Canada* but is a foreign language in Turkey.

Many countries have multiple languages spoken and used officially; a majority of these countries are conolized African and Latin countries by French and British empires.

*Canada is officially bilingual under the Official Languages Act and the Constitution of Canada that require the federal government to deliver services in both official languages.


Expanding circle

Outer circle

inner circle

1.1 English as an International Language

• English is spoken by 2 billion user either as a first, second language or lingua franca.

• The number of international English speakers (also can be referred as non-native English speakers) has outnumbered the native English speakers.

• We can no more speak of an English language but of Englishes.


1.1.1 Inner Circle Englishes

Inner circle countries are those where English is spoken monolingually, where it is the first and only language of the speakers.– British English– American English– Canadian English– Australian English– New Zealand English


1.1.2 Outer Circle Englishes

Outer circle countries are those using English as second language. English is exported to these countries through colonialism and later acquired the status of community language.

The distinctive status of outer circle Englishes is the nativization process, that is to say they have undergone their own independent development influenced by local languages.

• Indian English• Pakistani English• Ghanaian English• Singapor English


1.1.3 Expanding Circle Englishes

Expanding circle Englishes are those shaped under direct influence of the dominant language. In these countries English has the foreign language status. – Turkish English– Japanese English– Chinese English– German English– Egyptian English– French English– Italian English


2 Pidgin and Creole

Pidgin is a sociolinguistic phenomenon where two people whose first languages are different attempt to communicate using elements from both of their languages in a mixed manner. They:• Use words from both languages,• Mix morphology and syntax,• Use the simplest sounds from both languages.

Obtained language is called pidgin. Characteristics of pidgin language:• Limited vocabulary• Simple grammatical rules• Small inventory of sounds• Spoken by a small fraction of the community• Used for specific purposes such as trade, religion.


2 Pidgin and Creole

Some of pidgin languages are listed below:• Patois (Jamaican and English)• Basque-Icelandic pidgin (Basque, Germanic and Romance)• Béarlachas (Gaelic Irish and English)• Hawaiian (Portuguese, Hawaiian, Cantonese, English, Spanish)• Nigerian (English and Nigeria Krio)*• Portuñol (Spanish and Portugese)• Denglisch (Deutsch and English)• Siculish (Sicilian and English)

*Nigerian pidgin is used as lingua franca throughout Africa.


2 Pidgin and Creole

When a contact language is passed onto new generations in the same fashion a mother tongue is acquired by children, pidgin is called ‘creole’.

A creole language, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that creoles have been nativized by children as their primary language.

Pidgin EtymologyAssumed to be coming from a Chinese attempt to pronounce the English word business during trades in the Far East.

Creole EtymologyAn adaptation of the Castilian Spanish criollo ("homey, local yokel"), from Portuguese crioulo, diminutive of cria ("person raised in one’s house, servant"), from Portuguese criar ("to rear, to bring up"), from Latin creo ("to create").


3 Code-switching

Code switching is a well-known event in bilingual communities. Itrefers to usage of two languages in a mixed manner, generally in oralinteraction. There are two types of code swtiching:

1. Inter-sentential (code-switching)2. Intra sentential (code-mixing)

Some of the reasons for code switching:• Desire to reveal mixed identity or to show off• Inability to express an idea in one language• Inability to recall a word• Existence of lexical gap*• More effective communication• Wish to obtain a special effect.

*Lexical gap (lacuna) is the absence of a word in a particaular language.


3 Code-switching

Inter-sentential switching is to use sentences from two languages following each other.

Intra sentential switching involves the use of a word or an axpression from one language in a sentence whose structure belongs to another language.

Mum! Your friend, Alev, geldi.Anne benim books nerede?Yazar narrative tekniği ile dikkat çekti.He entered the line for the Nişantaşı dolmuş.Bana trouble vermek için.Ben ağlayınca o da fun yapacak.All right. Buyursun. Kitchendayım.All İstanbullular spend their weekend on Bosphorus.


3.1 Code-switching vs Pidgin

Pidgin Code-mixing

Phonological, morphological and lexical integration is extensive and effective over the sentence.

Grammatic or pronunciation features are kept intact, shift is restricted to vocabulary.

Education

Sociolinguistics - Language Contact