Language Contact and Its Outcomes

LANGUAGE
CONTACT AND
ITS OUTCOMES
• As we mentioned before, there is a plurality of
languages across the world. This does not
mean however that the speakers of these
languages do not interact.
• The interaction of languages in any form in fact

breed multilingual speakers and foster
multilingual societies. However, what tickles our
curiosity is the dynamic results of these
interactions.
• In this lesson, we are going to find out how

language contact occurs and discover also
what happens after these forms of contact.
LESSON OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, the students

should be able to:
1. define language contact
2. identify the outcomes of language

contact
UNDERSTANDING
LANGUAGE CONTACT
• Multilingualism is closely related to
language contact.
• Language contact is the sociolinguistic

phenomenon by which speakers of
different languages (or different varieties
of the same language) interact with one
another, leading to a transfer of linguistic
features
(Norquist, 2020)
UNDERSTANDING
LANGUAGE CONTACT
• Language contact is an old yet still
continuous phenomenon.
• According to the website of

University of Duisburg-Essen, there
are two types of language
contact:
1. Direct Contact
2. Indirect Contact
TWO TYPES OF
LANGUAGE CONTACT
• Direct contact where speakers

of one language turn up in the
midst of speakers of another as
in the cases of (but not limited
to) colonization, emigration,
trade, and physical immersion.
EMIGRATION
- the act of leaving one's own country to
settle permanently in another; moving
abroad.
TWO TYPES OF
LANGUAGE CONTACT
• Indirect contact where the

contact is through the
mediation of literature,
television, radio, and the
Internet.
UNDERSTANDING
LANGUAGE CONTACT
• According to Winford (n.d.), the outcomes
of language contact are influenced by
factors such as:
- length and intensity of contact between the

groups,
- the types of social, economic, and political
relationship between them,
- the functions which communication between
them must serve, and
- the degree of similarity between the languages.
UNDERSTANDING
LANGUAGE CONTACT
• Also, Winford also noted that language contact situations are
subject to often conflicting forces: dynamics and
accommodation versus group loyalty.
DYNAMICS AND ACCOMODATION GROUP LOYALTY
- encourages convergence or
compromise between the languages to - encourages divergence or preservation of
achieve the purpose of communication in language boundaries.
a given case.
For instance, in a Filipino class, a Filipino teacher
An example is an English class where the may prohibit the students to use any English
teacher uses Filipino language for the within the class hour.
Filipino students so that the purpose of
making the learners understand and
appreciate the lesson better can be
achieved.
THE OUTCOMES
OF LANGUAGE
CONTACT
UNDERSTANDING
LANGUAGE CONTACT
• Language contact results into
the following:
1. Pidgin
2. Creole
3. Diglossia
4. Code-switching
5. Borrowing
1. PIDGIN
• A pidgin is a language that does not have any

native speakers.
• In other words, it is a younger language that is

developed as a means of communicating between
two groups who do not speak the same language.
1. PIDGIN
• Pidgins are frequently developed for business and

trading.
• Buying and selling and other transactions are

reasons for the development of a pidgin.
• Pidgins are not used as a form of group

identification but rather for practical
communication.
1. PIDGIN
• It is a ‘makeshift’ or ‘compromise’ language formed when
speakers of two (or more) different languages attempt to
communicate for a certain function.
• According to the website of the University of Duisburg-

Essen, a pidgin is formed by the less dominant of the
speaking groups given its historical roots where colonized
natives developed a language to communicate with the
colonizers.
1. PIDGIN
• A pidgin is also the combination of two different
languages. The language that provides the majority of
the vocabulary is called the superstrate and the
minority language is called the substrate.
• A pidgin usually sounds ridiculous to a speaker of either

of the two languages it is derived from.
As such, they are often difficult to learn for a speaker of either the
superstrate or substrate language to learn as they do not follow
the normal rules of grammar.
2. CREOLE
• It refers to a pidgin that has evolved and stabilized

over time as a new mother tongue with more
developed features as a natural language.
• An example is the Chavacano language (that

came from Filipino language and Spanish
language).
3. DIGLOSSIA
• It is the coexistence of two varieties of the same language

throughout a speech community.
• It is noteworthy to mention, according to Britannica, that

between these two languages, one is given a higher
prestige over the other.
• Thus, one language is used in formal settings and the other

is used in informal contexts (Winford, n.d).
DIGLOSSIA
• It pertains to the coexistence of two different codes

(languages or language varieties), each one used
only in certain settings in which the other is not
preferred to be used.
• It is noteworthy to mention, according to Britannica,

that between these two languages, one is given a
higher prestige over the other. Thus, one language
is used in formal settings and the other is used in
informal contexts (Winford, n.d).
4. CODE-SWITCHING
• It is often defined as the alternating use of a speaker of

two or more languages/language varieties in the same
conversation or speech context.
• Haris (n.d.) pointed out that the use of more than one
linguistic variety (language) is in a manner consistent with
the grammatical and phonological rules of each variety.
• Code-switching may be done by a speaker intentionally or

subconsciously.
4. CODE-SWITCHING
• According to Ello, a website on English linguistics,

code-switching can be classified into the following:
1. Intra-sentential code-switching
2. Inter-sentential code-switching
3. Tag-switching
4.1.
INTRA-SENTENTIAL
CODE-SWITCHING
• It is a shift that is done in the middle of a sentence,
without hesitations, interruptions, or pauses that
would indicated a shift in language.
• This is the type of code-switching where the

speaker alternates between two codes within a
single sentence.
4.1.
INTRA-SENTENTIAL
CODE-SWITCHING
• Example:
This morning dinala ko ang bata sa babysitter.
Translation: ‘This morning, I took my baby to the babysitter.’
• In this example, the switching between Filipino and

English happens in the middle of a sentence.
4.2
INTER-SENTENTIAL
CODE-SWITCHING
• The speaker changes one code to another across
clauses/sentences.
• It occurs when the switch of the language is done at

sentence boundaries.
Example 1:
Sometimes I’ll start a sentence in English y termino en español.
Translation: Sometimes I’ll start a sentence in English and finish it in Spanish.
In this example, the first clause is in English and the second clause is in
Spanish.
4.2
INTER-SENTENTIAL
CODE-SWITCHING
Another example:
For today, we are going to discuss the parts of the cell. Pero bago
iyan ay balikan muna natin ang natalakay natin kahapon.
• Translation: For today, we are going to discuss the parts of the

cell. But before it, let us first review what we discussed yesterday.
• In this example, the shift from one language to another is

sentence to sentence.
4.3
TAG-SWITCHING
• It is the insertion of a tag phrase or word in one
language in a sentence of another language.
• This type of code switching only switches an

interjection, a tag, or sentence filler in the
utterances of the speaker.
4.3
TAG-SWITCHING
Example:
“Galing siyang Mexico at pinalaki siyang ganyan,
you know”
Translation: He's from Mexico, and they raise them like that,
you know
“I like coffee, pero, it gives me a headache.”

5. BORROWING
• also known as lexical borrowing
• When words are adopted by the speakers of one language

from a different language (the source language).
• It is the process by which a word from one language is

adapted for use in another.
• The word that is borrowed is called a borrowed word, or a

loanword.
5. BORROWING
• It is often used when there is no target language

equivalent, such as food or clothing, and can help to
preserve the cultural context of the source text.
• Example: Café (French), hamburger (German), kimono

(Japanese) and kimchi (Korean).
Summary of Lesson:
1. Language contact occurs through the interaction

of two or more users of different languages that
leads to the modification of one language by
another, combination of these languages, or
formation of a new language.
2. Language contact leads to outcomes such as a

pidgin, a creole, a diglossia, the use of code-
switching, and borrowing of words and
expressions.
References:

Language Contact and Its Outcomes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Language Contact and Its Outcomes

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Language Contact and Its Outcomes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

LANGUAGE

• The interaction of languages in any form in fact

• In this lesson, we are going to find out how

At the end of this lesson, the students

2. identify the outcomes of language

• Language contact is the sociolinguistic

• According to the website of

• Direct contact where speakers

• Indirect contact where the

- length and intensity of contact between the

• A pidgin is a language that does not have any

• In other words, it is a younger language that is

• Pidgins are frequently developed for business and

• Buying and selling and other transactions are

• Pidgins are not used as a form of group

• According to the website of the University of Duisburg-

• A pidgin usually sounds ridiculous to a speaker of either

• It refers to a pidgin that has evolved and stabilized

• An example is the Chavacano language (that

• It is the coexistence of two varieties of the same language

• It is noteworthy to mention, according to Britannica, that

• Thus, one language is used in formal settings and the other

• It pertains to the coexistence of two different codes

• It is noteworthy to mention, according to Britannica,

• It is often defined as the alternating use of a speaker of

• Code-switching may be done by a speaker intentionally or

• According to Ello, a website on English linguistics,

• This is the type of code-switching where the

• In this example, the switching between Filipino and

• It occurs when the switch of the language is done at

• Translation: For today, we are going to discuss the parts of the

• In this example, the shift from one language to another is

• This type of code switching only switches an

“I like coffee, pero, it gives me a headache.”

• When words are adopted by the speakers of one language

• It is the process by which a word from one language is

• The word that is borrowed is called a borrowed word, or a

• It is often used when there is no target language

• Example: Café (French), hamburger (German), kimono

1. Language contact occurs through the interaction

2. Language contact leads to outcomes such as a

You might also like