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Article published In: Diachronica
Vol. 36:2 (2019) ► pp.181–221

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Loss of grammatical gender and language contact

 | University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU)
Published online: 22 July 2019
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https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.17004.iga
Abstract
Despite its alleged relative stability, grammatical gender has nevertheless been completely lost in a number of languages. Through the analysis of three case studies (Afrikaans, Ossetic, and Cappadocian Greek) and a brief survey of similar developments in other languages, this article investigates the link between the loss of gender and language contact, which appears to be a key factor in the decline of gender systems. Drawing on recent research within the framework of sociolinguistic typology, I focus on the specific influence that a particular type of language contact (namely, non-native or imperfect learning) usually exerts on the grammar of the languages being acquired. I also discuss the diachronic asymmetry between the loss and the development of gender in language contact settings: while gender loss seems to be contact-related in quite a number of cases, replication or borrowing of gender turns out to be a rather restricted or even rare phenomenon.
Résumé
Malgré la relative stabilité qu’on lui attribue, le genre grammatical a pourtant complètement disparu dans plusieurs langues. En analysant trois études de cas (l’afrikaans, l’ossète et le grec de la Cappadoce), et moyennant un bref aperçu d’évolutions semblables dans d’autres langues, cet article examine le rapport entre la perte du genre et le contact linguistique, qui semble avoir été un facteur clé dans la déclin des systèmes de genre. Sur la base de recherches récentes menées dans le cadre de la typologie sociolinguistique, je me concentre sur l’influence spécifique qu’un type particulier de contact linguistique (l’apprentissage non natif ou imparfait) exerce habituellement sur la grammaire des langues qu’on apprend. Je me penche également sur l’asymétrie diachronique repérable entre disparition et apparition du genre dans une situation de contact linguistique: alors que dans un bon nombre de cas la perte du genre semble être en rapport avec ce contact, la reproduction ou l’emprunt de cette catégorie se révèle un phénomène plutôt restreint, voire rare.
Zusammenfassung
Trotz ihrer vermeintlich relativen Stabilität ist die Kategorie Genus in einer Vielzahl von Sprachen vollständig verloren gegangen. Anhand dreier Fallstudien (Afrikaans, Ossetisch und Kappadokisches Griechisch) sowie einer kurzen Untersuchung ähnlicher Entwicklungen in anderen Sprachen behandelt dieser Artikel die Verbindung zwischen dem Verlust des Genus und Sprachkontakt, welcher eine Schlüsselrolle beim Abbau des Genussystems einzunehmen scheint. Indem neuere Forschungen im Rahmen der soziolinguistischen Typologie herangezogen werden, richte ich meine Aufmerksamkeit auf den spezifischen Einfluss, den eine bestimmte Art von Sprachkontakt (und zwar nicht-muttersprachlicher bzw. unvollkommener Spracherwerb) üblicherweise auf die Grammatik der erworbenen Sprache ausübt. Desweiteren diskutiere ich die diachrone Asymmetrie zwischen dem Verlust und dem Aufkommen des Genus in Sprachkontaktsituationen: während der Verlust des Genus in einer Vielzahl von Fällen kontaktbedingt zu sein scheint, stellt sich die Nachbildung oder Entlehnung des Genus als ein ziemlich eingeschränktes oder sogar seltenes Phänomen heraus.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.On the rise and fall of gender systems: Internal perspective
  • 3.The role of contact in gender loss
    • 3.1Afrikaans
    • 3.2Ossetic
    • 3.3Cappadocian Greek
    • 3.4Other cases
    • 3.5A brief note on contact languages
    • 3.6Sociohistorical information and the dynamics of language contact
  • 4.An asymmetry in diachrony: Does language contact cause development of gender?
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
References (145)
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