How a West African language becomes North African, and vice versa

Abstract Updating the methodology of Hayward, Richard J. 1991. A propos patterns lexicalization in Ethiopian language area. In Daniela Mendel & Ulrike Claudi (eds.), Ägypten im afroorientalischen Kontext. Special issue Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere , 139–156. Cologne: Institute African Studies, using concept colexification (François, Alexandre. 2008. Semantic maps and typology colexification: Intertwining polysemous networks across languages. Martine Vanhove (ed.), Studies companion series vol. 106, 163–215. Amsterdam: John Benjamins), this paper, for first time, provides quantitative evidence that languages West Sahel/Savanna form a lexical-typological area characterised by shared colexifications absent further north. It then uses linguistic comparative method to determine how entering or leaving area, coming into increasing contact with it at its edges, have converged their new neighbours within past millennium. The results indicate sharp differences respective roles rates borrowing calquing, latter acting almost exclusively increase colexifications.