Home Linguistics & Semiotics Differential impact of colonial languages on written languages
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Differential impact of colonial languages on written languages

A case study from Latvia in the early 19th century
  • Nicole Nau
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
Explore this Subject How to publish with us
Diversity in Contact
This chapter is in the book Diversity in Contact

Abstract

Two written varieties of Latvian developed in a colonial setting under the influence of two different dominant languages, German and Polish. This case study shows their impact on grammatical constructions in two versions of a manual of beekeeping from the early 19th century, a pioneering example of this register in Latvian. The findings indicate the entanglement of two driving forces in the development of grammatical structures, language contact and register features of written texts, and point out differences in the sociolinguistic situation as explanations for different outcomes of language contact.

Abstract

Two written varieties of Latvian developed in a colonial setting under the influence of two different dominant languages, German and Polish. This case study shows their impact on grammatical constructions in two versions of a manual of beekeeping from the early 19th century, a pioneering example of this register in Latvian. The findings indicate the entanglement of two driving forces in the development of grammatical structures, language contact and register features of written texts, and point out differences in the sociolinguistic situation as explanations for different outcomes of language contact.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Preface V
  3. Contents IX
  4. Part I
  5. Differential impact of colonial languages on written languages 3
  6. Contact in World Englishes at the nexus of language and culture 91
  7. Far beyond the Caucasus 111
  8. Scenarios of Basque Language Contact 145
  9. The relevance of origin 165
  10. On the morphosyntax of place names vs. common nouns in pidgins and creoles 195
  11. Places, manners, and the areal phonology of Europe 249
  12. Travellers in time and space 327
  13. Part II
  14. The city as multilingual utopia 369
  15. Fluid registers and fixed language concepts in postcolonial spaces 439
  16. Prolegomena to a study of code-switching in Togo and its metapragmatic functions 477
  17. Index of Authors 513
  18. Index of Languages, Language Families, and Linguistic Areas 521
  19. Index of Subjects 527
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111323756-001

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Preface V
  3. Contents IX
  4. Part I
  5. Differential impact of colonial languages on written languages 3
  6. Contact in World Englishes at the nexus of language and culture 91
  7. Far beyond the Caucasus 111
  8. Scenarios of Basque Language Contact 145
  9. The relevance of origin 165
  10. On the morphosyntax of place names vs. common nouns in pidgins and creoles 195
  11. Places, manners, and the areal phonology of Europe 249
  12. Travellers in time and space 327
  13. Part II
  14. The city as multilingual utopia 369
  15. Fluid registers and fixed language concepts in postcolonial spaces 439
  16. Prolegomena to a study of code-switching in Togo and its metapragmatic functions 477
  17. Index of Authors 513
  18. Index of Languages, Language Families, and Linguistic Areas 521
  19. Index of Subjects 527
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 25.12.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111323756-001/html
Scroll to top button