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By Jam Ham
Languages and language varieties are always in contact. No language or linguistic variety exists in isolation and in a social vacuum. Because we are social creatures, we more than often come in contact with other people who speak a different language or variety from us. Today, as the internet is widespread and globalization continues to be on the rise, more languages from completely different sides of the globe are coming in contact with one another in many mediums.
But what exactly happens when languages come in contact?
How do the effects of language contact relate to changes in one's social environment?
Effects of Language Contact
Language contact can have a multitude of structural effects on the languages involved; sometimes, no changes may happen among the languages, however, several features exhibited in today’s languages are a result of this. One common result is that languages may borrow words from each other and develop similar structures. Take English, for example; several words in Modern English are derived from Old Norman French as a result of the Norman invasion of England. Several words from English also stem from Old Norse due to people in England being in contact with the vikings; the word they, for example, comes from Old Norse þeir.
Language groups in contact may also prompt speakers to develop pidgins, a grammatically simplified means of communication which incorporates elements from their own languages. These pidgins may even undergo creolization to form creole languages, which have a much more refined grammatical structure and vocabulary. Creoles also have native speakers and are implemented as an important cultural practice. One example of a Creole language is Haitian Creole, which arose from languages such as French, Spanish, Taíno, and many languages from West Africa. Sometimes, code-switching—the phenomenon where speakers switch between languages (depending on context)—may become a common practice in a zone of language contact. In the Philippines, for instance, you may often hear people code switch to English in more urban societies because of the historic influence as well as the social prestige English carries.
On another hand, speakers of languages in contact may also preserve the use of such languages separately, a process called sustained multilingualism. In the Vaupés region of Colombia and Brazil, home to a multitude of Native American languages (such as Tuyuka and Hup) as well as many language families, different groups in the area practice linguistic exogamy—this is where a speaker of a language must marry someone who does not speak their native language (or, specifically, their father’s native language).
What the Effects of Language Contact Tell Us
Sometimes, the effects of language contact are related with the changes occurring in a sociocultural group. For example, when two groups share long histories with trade and travel, how would being in contact affect their languages? Perhaps they may borrow words from each other, or even develop a pidgin used for trade.
The prominence of such effects may also vary depending on social environments. Certain social demographics, such as gender, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic class, may converge their language more with another, while other demographics may have their own variety become different. Language ideologies shared among social groups may also change these effects.
Language Contact in your Language Learning Journey
When learning a language, try noting certain aspects of that language that may have resulted from language contact: Are there loanwords? If so, how frequently do such words appear? Does its sound system look similar to another unrelated language? It is also important to learn about the cultural and linguistic group of the speakers. Try noticing aspects of their culture, how that may have arisen from cultural contact, and how that ties in with the way they use their language!
About Jam Ham
An undergraduate majoring in Anthropology and Physics who was always interested in linguistic anthropology, sociolinguistics, and historical linguistics. Speaks English and Tagalog, and is learning French at the moment. Likes hiking and traveling and would like to explore other countries someday.
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