Phonological Drift and Language Contact

Erscheinungsjahr 2025
ISBN: 978-1-108-49738-1
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 340 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 647 g

Several language families of northern Europe – Germanic, Celtic, and Uralic – share phonetic and phonological patterns that are typologically unusual. This book demonstrates how we can better understand these convergences: they exemplify the phenomenon of drift. Using the latest advances in theoretical linguistics, the study of sound change, and language variation, it offers insights into the development of these features and what they tell us about past cultural and linguistic contacts. Although the languages are not closely related, an understanding of drift grounded in the theory of the life cycle of phonological patterns reveals the workings of convergent developments. Covering a wide range of vernacular varieties, this book shows how phonological microvariation is illuminated by an approach grounded in the theory of the life cycle and historical sociolinguistics. It is essential reading for historical and theoretical linguists, and anyone with an interest in the cultural and linguistic contacts across northern Europe.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Iosad, Pavel

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Phonetik, Phonologie, Prosodie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction; 1. Setting the scene; 2. Research context; 3. Theoretical background; 4. The sychrony and diachrony of preaspiration; 5. North Germanic; 6. Celtic; 7. The Sámi Languages; 8. Preaspiration and language contact; 9. Conclusion.

Über Autor(innen)

Iosad, Pavel
Pavel Iosad is Professor of Synchronic and Diachronic Phonology at the University of Edinburgh. His work spans theoretical phonology and historical linguistics, with a focus on Celtic, Germanic, Romance, and Slavic languages. His notable publications include A Substance-free Framework for Phonology (2017).