The ecology of language evolution / Salikoko S. Mufwene.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mufwene, Salikoko S., author.

Series:

Cambridge approaches to language contact.

Cambridge approaches to language contact

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Historical linguistics.

Creole dialects--History.

Creole dialects.

Languages in contact.

Social ecology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xviii, 255 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This major 2001 work explores the development of creoles and other new languages, focusing on the conceptual and methodological issues they raise for genetic linguistics. Written by an internationally renowned linguist, the book discusses the nature and significance of internal and external factors or 'ecologies' that bear on the evolution of a language. The book surveys a wide range of examples of changes in the structure, function and vitality of languages, and suggests that similar ecologies have played the same kinds of roles in all cases of language evolution. Drawing on major theories of language formation, macroecology and population genetics, Mufwene proposes a common approach to the development of creoles and other new languages. The Ecology of Language Evolution will be welcomed by students and researchers in sociolinguistics, creolistics, theoretical linguistics and theories of evolution.

Contents:

Cover; Half-title; Series-title; Title; Copyright; Contents; Illustrations; Preface; Acknowledgments; 1 Introduction; 2 The Founder Principle in the development of creoles; 3 The development of American Englishes: factoring contact in and the social bias out; 4 The legitimate and illegitimate offspring of English; 5 What research on development of creoles can contribute to genetic linguistics; 6 Language contact, evolution, and death: how ecology rolls the dice; 7 Past and recent population movements in Africa: their impact on its linguistic landscape; 8 Conclusions: the big picture; Notes

ReferencesAuthor index; Subject index

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references (p. 226-245) and indexes.

ISBN:

1-107-12150-7

0-511-04678-2

0-511-15457-7

0-511-32845-1

0-521-79138-3

0-511-17461-6

0-511-61286-9

1-280-42999-2

OCLC:

559683844