Emerging Bilingual Speech
Author | : Anna Verschik |
Publisher | : A&C Black |
Total Pages | : 289 |
Release | : 2011-10-20 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781441140289 |
ISBN-13 | : 144114028X |
Rating | : 4/5 (89 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: Anna Verschik offers a new perspective on how a previously monolingual community of Russian-speakers in Estonia is rapidly becoming bilingual after the end of the Soviet occupation in 1991. The contact-induced change in Russian under the growing impact of Estonian is analysed in the theoretical framework of code-copying. Changes in linguistic behaviour of the speakers are often a result of intentional cultivation of non-monolingual communication strategies and language policies, and go hand in hand with the development of a new identity, 'Estonian Russians'. Emerging Bilingual Speech is a fascinating study that will be of interest to researchers studying language contact, language change and bilingualism.