Article published In: Diachronica
Vol. 39:4 (2022) ► pp.525–564
Copying form without content
Relexification in ordinary contact-induced change
Published online: 26 April 2022
https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.20022.pak
https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.20022.pak
Abstract
Two major types of change are generally distinguished in language contact studies: the transfer of linguistic form (frequently taken to include transfer of concomitant meaning or function) and the transfer of structural and semantic patterns by themselves, without attendant form. A type of change that is less frequently discussed is so-called relexification. This involves the transfer of form without model-language semantic or syntactic specifications that is grafted onto an equivalent recipient-language lemma. Relexification has been suggested to play a role in the development of mixed languages or creoles, but as is shown here, it can also be identified in several ordinary situations of language contact from around the world. This type of change represents a mirror image of the transfer of patterns without lexical material and supports recent models of language selection in bilinguals.
Keywords: borrowing, loanwords, adpositions, conjunctions, derivational suffixes, extension by analogy, MAT, PAT
Zusammenfassung
In Studien zum Sprachkontakt wird oft zwischen zwei Hauptarten von Transfer unterschieden: Transfer von linguistischen Formen (oft zusammen mit modellsprachlicher Bedeutung oder Funktion) und Transfer ausschließlich von strukturellen und semantischen Mustern, ohne dazugehörige Form. Relativ selten wird die sogenannte Relexifikation besprochen, bei der eine Form ohne dazugehörige modellsprachliche semantische oder syntaktische Spezifikation auf ein äquivalentes empfängersprachliches Lemma aufgepropft wird. Es wird angenommen, dass Relexifikation eine Rolle bei der Entwicklung von Misch- oder Kreolsprachen gespielt haben könnte, aber wie hier gezeigt wird, kann sie auch in mehreren Situationen gewöhnlichen Sprachkontakts nachgewiesen werden. Dieser Transfertyp stellt das Gegenstück von Musterübertragung ohne Form dar und steht im Einklang mit neuen Modellen zur Sprachselektion bei Zweisprachigkeit.
Résumé
On connaît deux types de transferts majeurs dans l’étude des contacts de langues : le transfert de formes (souvent avec leur sens ou leur fonction grammaticale) et le transfert de schèmes sémantiques ou structuraux, sans forme concomitante. Un type de changement moins souvent discuté est la relexification. Celle-ci comprend le transfert de formes greffées sur le lemme dans la langue réceptrice sans les spécifications sémantiques ou structurelles de la langue source. La relexification aurait joué un rôle dans le développement des langues mixtes ou des créoles, mais tel qu’on le soutient ici elle peut aussi être reconnue dans plusieurs cas de contacts ordinaires. Ce type de changement représente l’inverse du transfert de schèmes sans forme et est en accord avec des modèles récents de sélection lexicale chez des individus bilingues.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Lamunkhin Even, its contact situation, and the data used in this study
- 3.Sakha postpositions in Lamunkhin Even
- 3.1The primary postposition dïlï ‘until’
- 3.2The relational nouns bïːs- ‘between’ and tus- ‘about’
- 3.3Different types of Sakha-derived postpositions in Lamunkhin Even
- 4.Relexification in ordinary language contact
- 4.1Quechua in contact with Spanish: The agent nominalizer -dor
- 4.2Zoque in contact with Spanish: The concessive construction
- 4.3Mosetén in contact with Spanish: The conjunction pero ‘but’
- 4.4Totonac in contact with Spanish: The preposition hasta ‘until’
- 4.5Domari in contact with Arabic: The preposition žamb ‘next to’
- 5.Relexification – or simply extension by analogy?
- 6.Discussion
- 6.1Relexification and other types of contact-induced change
- 6.2The role of pivot-matching in relexification
- 7.Conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
- Abbreviations used in glosses
References
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