In and around the Balkans: Romance languages and the making of layered languages
Francesco Gardani
February 2021 

The languages of the Balkans are a rich source of data on contact-induced language change. The result of a centuries long process of lexical and structural convergence has been referred to as a ‘sprachbund’. While widely applied, this notion has, however, increasingly been questioned with respect to its usefulness. Addressing the linguistic makeup of the Balkan languages, the notion of sprachbund is critically assessed. It is shown that a) the Balkan languages and the Balkan linguistic exclaves (Albanian and Greek spoken on the Italian peninsula) share similar contact-induced phenomena, and b) the principal processes underlying the development of the Balkan languages are borrowing and reanalysis, two fundamental and general mechanisms of language change.

Format:	[ pdf ]
Reference:	lingbuzz/005894 (please use that when you cite this article)
Published in:	Journal of Language Contact 14(1)
keywords:	areal linguistics, balkan sprachbund, borrowing, language contact, layered languages, linguistic area, reanalysis, romance languages, structural convergence, syntax, phonology
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