Language Change and Variation in Gibraltar

While much has been written about Gibraltar from historical and political perspectives, sociolinguistic aspects have been largely overlooked. This book describes the influences which have shaped the colony’s linguistic development since the British occupation in 1704, and the relationship between the three principal means of communication: English, Spanish and the code-switching variant Yanito. The study then focuses its attentions on the communicative forms and functions of Gibraltarian English. The closing of the border between Gibraltar and Spain (1969-1982), which effectively isolated the colony, had important social and linguistic repercussions. This volume presents the first full account of the language attitudes and identity of a new generation of Gibraltarians, all of whom were born after the border was re-opened. Adopting a variationist approach, this study analyses the extent to which the language use and phonetic realisations of young Gibraltarians differ from those of previous generations and the factors conditioning language variation and change.

Frank Nuessel, in Language Problems and Language Planning Vol. 33:3: 269-271 (2009):
This study of a possible ongoing language shift in Gibraltar provides an excellent literature review, a succinct recapitulation of the history of Gibraltar and its various linguistic influences, a theoretically sound variationist account of language change in young Gibraltarians, and a set of conclusions that point toward a shift from Spanish to English. A detailed bibliography and a useful index complement this fine volume. What makes this volume especially useful and valuable is the fact that its chosen territory and population are small so that it is easy to carry out detailed research.