LSA 218: Mixed languages

Richard A. Rhodes | session 2 | TuTh 8:30 – 10:15, 101 Moffitt Hall

One of the possible results of language contact is the creation of a mixed language. In this course we will tackle various aspects of the mixed language debate: what counts as a ML, how are ML's to be classified, how do ML's arise, how are ML's to be looked at in historical linguistic terms? In the process, we will place the mixed languages in the broader context of contact linguistics. Because the debate is partially shaped by the fact that Métchif is often seen as the prototype ML, we will look at the grammar and history of Métchif in some depth.

Reading: Selected materials available online.

Prerequisites: One course in basic linguistics covering phonology, morphology, and syntax.

Areas of linguistics: Areal and historical linguistics; Sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology; Languages of the Americas