Mixed language

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Mixed language is a vaguely defined generic term in linguistics for languages that have arisen through intensive contact between two (rarely more) languages ​​and that combine clear characteristics of both source languages. As a rule, one speaks of a mixed language only when the influence of one language on the other is not limited to the vocabulary ( lexicons ), but also includes the adoption of elements of the grammar . Usually one of the mixed languages ​​acts as a substrate or source language - this is usually the language whose speakers have a lower social prestige. The respective other language is called the superstrate language and, in the case of a clearly directed development, the target language.

Mixed languages ​​are independent natural languages ​​with a fixed set of rules whose properties remain constant over a longer period of time. They are to be clearly distinguished from spontaneous language mixing ( code switching , code mixing , borrowing ), in which the type and extent of the mixing vary from speaker to speaker and situation to situation. Such states can, however, be precursors of mixed languages.

background

The emergence of mixed languages ​​presupposes that certain social conditions exist. These conditions must on the one hand favor the abandonment of the substrate language in favor of the superstrate language, but on the other hand prevent the new language from being learned completely and adopted unchanged. For example, in a language contact situation, large differences in the social perception of the languages ​​mean that the source language is partially abandoned. At the same time, weak bilingualism and a lack of “accessibility” of the target language can mean that part of the population has an incomplete command of the new language and mixes it with the source language. If the separation between the two speaking communities is too great, the target language cannot act as a corrective and certain core areas of the source language, such as phonology or morphology , are retained.

A broader definition of mixed language also includes languages ​​in which only a substantial part of the vocabulary comes from another language. Here, too, it can usually be seen that the loans first concern those areas of the lexicon that are related to the new social situation. The basic vocabulary often goes unchanged into the mixed language.

Particular mixed languages ​​are pidgin and creole languages, as well as languages ​​that have developed from former special languages such as Rotwelsch or a lingua franca . These languages ​​differ from prototypical mixed languages ​​in the peculiarities of their development. The special languages ​​known as “crooks” have their origin in a sometimes deliberate mixture of languages, which should guarantee that the language is only understandable for the initiated. In the case of pidgin languages ​​and a lingua franca, communication was e.g. B. in the foreground in trading situations. Especially when this initially purely purpose-related code goes through an independent further development and is even used as a mother tongue , classification as a mixed language is obvious.

The classification of Creole languages ​​as a special case of a mixed language is based on two aspects of Creole: On the one hand, it has long been assumed (and in some cases still is) that Creole languages ​​are formed through a special process of so-called creolization . This means the case that (especially young) pidgin speakers at a certain point in time in a certain generation spontaneously generate a fully grammatical language from the unsystematic source material of their pidgin. Such a development is not seen in any of the classic mixed languages, so a special position of the Creole languages ​​can be justified. However, the existence of such a process is increasingly being denied. Second, it is assumed that creole languages ​​- in contrast to classic mixed languages, whose grammar consists of set pieces of both languages ​​- develop a grammar that is simplified compared to all source languages. Creole languages ​​would differ from other mixed languages ​​in that they have a specific, simplified "Creole grammar" regardless of their geographical distribution. This assessment is also questioned, as the supposedly simplified grammar of most Creole languages can be explained by the influence of the West African Kwa languages . Historically, Creole languages ​​would be a mixture of these African languages ​​and the corresponding European superstrates ( English , French , Dutch, etc.).

Languages ​​and examples

Northern Germany

There are also several mixed languages ​​in Northern Germany:

It is controversial to what extent Sydslesvigdansk can be viewed as a variety of Imperial Danish , as a dialect of Danish or as a mixed language (similar to Northern Schleswig-German):

Michif

Michif is a mixed language of French and the Cree, an Algonquin language . The nouns in Michif come from French, the verbs - including inflection - from Cree.

Examples (from Bakker & Papen ( Ref : 1997): 336f):

ki: ucıpıtam sa tεt la tɔrčy - "The turtle ducked its head."
Michif: ki: -ucıpıt-am sa tεt la tɔrčy
Literally: PRÄT - pull -TRANS.INANIM. 3.> 3 '. Sg. be head ART: Sg. turtle
æ be: bi la præses ki: aja: we: w - "The princess had a child."
Michif: æ be: bi la præses ki: -aja: we: w
Literally: ART: Sg. infant ART: Sg. princess PRÄT - have -TRANS.ANIM. 3.> 3. Sg.

The French words in the sentences are sa tête - la tortue in the first and un bébé - la princesse in the second. For details on grammar see the articles Michif and Algonquin Language .

Media Lengua

Media Lengua is a mixed language spoken in Ecuador, whose vocabulary comes almost exclusively from Spanish, but whose grammar ( morphology and syntax ) was taken from Quechua.

Example (from Muysken ( Lit .: 1997): 365):

Unu faburta pidingabu binixuni - "I come to ask a favor."
Media Lengua: Unu fabur-ta pidi-nga-bu bini-xu-ni
Literally: A Liked - acc ask - NOM - BEN come - PROG - 1st Sg.

For comparison, the same sentence in

  • Quechua: Shuk fabur-da maña-nga-bu shamu-xu-ni.
  • Spanish: Vengo para pedir un favor.

See also

literature

  • Bakker, Peter (1996): Language intertwining and convergence: typological aspects of the genesis of mixed languages. In: Language typology and research on universals. 49, pp. 9-20.
  • Bakker, Peter & Papen, Robert: Michif: a mixed language based on French and Cree. In: Thomason, Sarah G .: Contact languages: a wider perspective. John Benjamin, Amsterdam 1997, pp. 295-365.
  • Földes, Csaba : Kontaktdeutsch: On the theory of a variety type under transcultural conditions of multilingualism. Gunter Narr Verlag, Tübingen 2005, ISBN 3-8233-6160-0 ; see: http://www.foeldes.eu/sites/default/files/Kontaktdeutsch.pdf
  • Muysken, Pieter: Media lengua. In: Thomason, Sarah G .: Contact languages: a wider perspective John Benjamin, Amsterdam 1997, pp. 365-426.
  • Thomason, Sarah G. & Kaufman, Terence: Language contact, creolization, and genetic linguistics. University of California Press, Berkeley 1988.

Web links

Wiktionary: mixed language  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Karen Margrethe Pedersen: Dansk Sprog i Sydslesvig . tape 1 . Institut for grænseregionsforskning, Aabenraa 2000, ISBN 87-90163-90-7 , p. 225 ff .