Sociolinguistic typology : social determinants of linguistic complexity
This book considers how far social factors explain why human societies produce different kinds of language at different times and places and why some languages and dialects get simpler while others get more complex. It does so in the context of a wide range of languages and societies.
xxxviii, 236 p. 24 cm.
9780199604340, 9780199604357, 0199604347, 0199604355
1103768254
Prologue: Social Correlates of Linguistic Structures ; 1. Sociolinguistic Typology and the Speed of Change ; 2. Complexification, Simplification, and Two Types of Contact ; 3. Isolation and Complexification ; 4. Mechanisms of Complexification ; 5. Contact and Isolation in Phonology ; 6. Mature Phenomena and Societies of Intimates ; Epilogue: On the Future of Linguistic Complexity ; Bibliography ; Index