• Linguistics and Language -> Sociolinguistics and Language Variation

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8. Can language contact lead to language standardization or creolization?

Zina Siflet

Language contact is when people who speak different languages come into contact with each other and need to communicate. This can happen for many reasons, such as immigration, trade, or colonisation.

When people who speak different languages interact, their communication can lead to language standardisation or creolisation.

Language standardisation happens when one language becomes the dominant language in the community. This can be because it is used for important purposes such as education, government, or business. Over time, the language can become more uniform and standardised as people try to speak it correctly and use it for more formal situations.

Creolisation, on the other hand, happens when two or more languages mix together to create a new language. This can happen when people who speak different languages live together and need to communicate. Over time, the languages can mix and create a new language that has elements of each language.

Both language standardisation and creolisation can happen when people who speak different languages come into contact with each other. It all depends on how they communicate and how their languages interact with each other.

So, to answer the question, yes, language contact can lead to language standardisation or creolisation. But it depends on the situation and how people communicate with each other.