Language shift
When changing languages (English language shift, and language loss ) changes an individual or a speech community of a language A to a language other B. The term is common in language acquisition, sociolinguistics and general linguistics. A complete change of language, often only the dominance of one language at multilingualism may extend over 2-3 generations.
Language change in the migration
Most of the results of language change from previous contacts and voice voice changer characterized by multilingualism ( bilingualism ). The phenomenon is often seen in migrants after they have permanently moved their center of life. Living in a new environment makes regularly acquiring a second language (S2 ) in addition to the mother tongue (S1 ) is required. In the long term leads the stay in the foreign country again in the migration-related language change. The S2 is the S1. If S1 completely lost, then one speaks of a voice loss.
However, the S1 remains in a foreign land, so this is called ( in the result and in the course ) to preserve the language. Language preservation is connected to multilingualism. The sociology of language sees it as a language loyalty (English language loyalty ). Examples are groups of Germans from Russia, or South Asian. Immigrants in the UK. Language maintenance in turn can lead to language conflict.
The process of language preservation extends an average of two to three generations. Characteristic of this transitional phase of multilingualism and the efforts of parents to tie the daughter generation to the original home language, which undergoes a weakening. Often the efforts lead to language preservation for folklorization the now discarded S1 and the associated culture. Thus we find in many German American centers a form of German unity, which is reduced to flag, Oktoberfest, lederhosen and Christmas tree.
Language change according to occupation
Historically was often dominant language change from the language of the conquerors, often a small elite, or by economic or cultural attractiveness top layer on the language of the indigenous population. Examples include the acquisition of the German language by the Slavic population in the German colonization of the East in the Middle Ages. Here, the process extended partially into the early modern period through several generations without the original population was considerably displaced. Most likely is the suspected language change between the ancient British Celtic language of Britain and the Anglo-Saxon or Old English of the migration period. The transition is probably first by dominance change within the multilingualism and later by complete loss of the original language. Another example would be the relatively recent transition of the Celtic Irish to the Irish today spoken English in the 19th century due to the political, intellectual, and social dominance of the English in this part of the United Kingdom. Centuries in which the English dominated in Ireland, prevailed bilingualism, which was abandoned in the 19th century in a relatively short time.
Language change due to social stigma
A language change can also occur when the use of hitherto spoken language of the population is connected to social disadvantage. An example of this is the exchange of parts of the population of Brussels since the beginning of the 19th century. See Frenchification Brussels.