A bifurcation threshold for contact-induced language change
نویسندگان
چکیده
One proposed mechanism of language change concerns the role played by second-language (L2) learners in situations contact. If sufficiently many L2 speakers are present a speech community relation to number first-language (L1) speakers, then those features which difficulty acquisition may be prone disappearing from language. This paper presents mathematical account such contact based on stochastic model learning and nonlinear population dynamics. The equilibria deterministic reduction model, describing mixed L1 fully characterized. Whether or not changes response introduction turns out depend three factors: overall proportion population, strength face acquiring as an L2, language-internal utilities competing linguistic variants. These factors related formula phase transition retention L2-difficult feature its loss both speaker populations. supplies predictions that can tested against empirical data. Here, is evaluated with help two case studies, morphological levelling Afrikaans erosion null subjects Afro-Peruvian Spanish; found broadly agreement historical development cases.
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ژورنال
عنوان ژورنال: Glossa
سال: 2022
ISSN: ['2397-1835']
DOI: https://doi.org/10.16995/glossa.8211