27 2. Overall framework of contact phenomena chances there are for a pidgin to evolve from its initial jargonized stadium into a more stable and developed variety.10 In an attempt to define the notion of language, linguists find many problematic issues regarding the definition itself, the boundaries of language phenomena and the differences between language and dialect. However, contacts among languages bring about many interesting phenomena. Mark Sebba describes six consequences of what he calls “close encounters between languages” (Sebba 1997: 10). Consequence 1. Vocabulary and Grammar Borrowing One of the most common consequences of language contact is the borrowing of different lexical or grammatical elements of the other language’s system. Sebba postulates the use of another term for this mechanism instead of borrowing, as the more appropriate term is “naturalization” or “adoption” because ‘borrowing’ suggests the temporariness of this mechanism. A once-borrowed word is after a while “no longer felt to be strange or ‘foreign’ and is adapted to the sound and/or grammatical patterns of the new language” (Sebba 1997: 11). The author states that “[f]or a large-scale borrowing to take place there must be at least a part of community which is bilingual in both languages” (ibidem). A perfect example of borrowing could be the case of French vocabulary adopted by the English. Languages which are in regular contact permeate each other, adapting the borrowed words to the phonetics or grammar of their language (see Bloomfield 1933, Ch. 25, 26, 27). Consequence 2: Code Switching Code switching takes place when a large part of the speech community knows more than one or two languages quite well. The code switchers adjust and select the vocabulary from the languages they know depending on what and how they wish to express their thoughts [i]n the mind of the code switcher, one language may be more appropriate than the other for expressing a particular idea; one language may be more intimate and personal than the other; one may show more authority, and the other, more solidarity. (Sebba 1997: 12) An interesting observation is that “[c]ode switchers construct a potent and finely modulated personal blend of languages each time they speak, and 10 For discussion, see Mühlhäusler (1986: 3–6).
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