Isolation and Language Change: Contemporary and Sociohistorical Evidence From Tristan da Cunha English (Palgrave Studies in Language Variation)

Extremely isolated communities offer 'laboratory conditions' for examining the processes of language change and dialect formation. This book presents findings of the first-ever ethnographic fieldwork on the most remote island in the world with a permanent population, Tristan da Cunha. It documents the historical formation of a unique local dialect and investigates the sociolinguistic mechanisms that underlie dialect contact and new-dialect formation. It also uncovers the linguistic consequences of post-insularity - language change processes as a result of increasing contacts with other communities and speakers. Researchers and students of language variation will find this book a unique resource. Extremely isolated communities offer ' laboratory conditions' for examining the processes of language change and dialect formation. This book presents findings of the first ever ethnographic fieldwork on the most remote island in the world with a permanent population, Tristan da Cunha. It documents the historical formation of a unique local dialect and investigates the sociolinguistic mechanisms that underlie dialect contact and new-dialect formation. Based on the settlement history of the local community, the book offers an in-depth analysis of the social and linguistic motivation of feature selection and retention, analysing the outcomes of mutual interaction, long-term accommodation and language hybridisation in this setting. Linguistic processes are illustrated with several case studies of individual features, including mixing, levelling, categoricality, and the development of unique language structures, highlighting the importance of geographic isolation for their stabilisation and evolution. Special emphasis is given to the linguistic consequences of post-insularity - language change processes as a result of increasing contacts with other communities and speakers. Researchers and students of language variation and change, as well as anthropologists and ethnographers, will find this study a unique resource 7 Dynamism v. Retention: 'Completive done''Completive done' in world English; The (Aux) done V(ed) construction: an overview; 'Completive done' in TdCE; Discussion and conclusion: dynamic or archaic?; 8 Innovation and Independent Developments: Useta went; Delineating useta went; Regular and irregular verbs; Past tense marking in non-standard English; Tense marking in TdCE; The useta went construction; Discussion and conclusion: insularity and innovation; 9 Conclusion; Selection; Conservatism v. innovation; Post-insularity; Conclusion; Appendix; Notes; References; Index; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H Cover; Contents; List of Tables; List of Maps and Figures; Acknowledgements; List of Abbreviations; 1 Introduction; 2 Contact, Isolation and Language Change: A Theoretical Framework; Introduction; Dialect contact and koinéisation; Language contact; Change without contact: enclave communities; 3 Tristan da Cunha; Topographical and geophysical aspects; A social history of Tristan da Cunha; Sociolinguistic and linguistic implications; Conclusion; 4 Methodology and Fieldwork; The 'pre-history' of the Tristan da Cunha project; Fieldwork on Tristan da Cunha; Fieldwork and ethnographic activities Defining the object of investigation5 Determining Input Interaction: Present Tense Concord; Present tense concord in British English; Present tense marking in TdCE; Historical and contemporary aspects of present tense marking in TdCE; Discussion and conclusion: input interaction and feature selection; 6 Categoricality and Levelling: Present/Past be Regularisation; The special status of be in English; Historical and contemporary aspects of be levelling; The patterning of is/was regularisation in TdCE: an overview; Discussion and conclusion: transplantation and categoricality Front Matter....Pages i-xv Introduction....Pages 1-7 Contact, Isolation and Language Change: A Theoretical Framework....Pages 8-40 Tristan da Cunha....Pages 41-72 Methodology and Fieldwork....Pages 73-90 Determining Input Interaction: Present Tense Concord....Pages 91-110 Categoricality and Levelling: Present/Past be Regularisation....Pages 111-142 Dynamism v. Retention: ‘Completive done’....Pages 143-168 Innovation and Independent Developments: Useta went ....Pages 169-194 Conclusion....Pages 195-206 Back Matter....Pages 207-237 IJ; K; L; M; N; O; P; R; S; T; U; V; W; Y; Z