Replication, transfer, and calquing: Using variation as a tool in the study of language contact

TLDR

Replication, transfer, and calquing are examined as processes that shape speakers’ mental organization of linguistic variables, with cross‑linguistic constraint ranking comparisons used to probe long‑term language contact effects. The study aims to confirm that these processes operate on speakers’ mental organization of variables and that constraint ranking comparisons can reveal feature transfer in long‑term contact. The authors compare constraint rankings for null subjects and null objects in Bislama and Tamambo narrative corpora to illustrate the strengths and limits of this approach. The study shows that the method enables more precise definitions of replication, transfer, and calquing in variable domains and bridges variationist sociolinguistics with creolistics and language contact research.

Abstract

Abstract Do the processes of replication, transfer, and calquing operate on speakers' mental organization of variables? Can the comparison of constraint rankings across languages provide evidence for (or against) the transfer of features in cases of long-term language contact? This article suggests yes to both questions. It undertakes a comparison of constraint rankings on null subjects and null objects in a corpus of Bislama and a corpus of Tamambo narratives to demonstrate the potential and limitations of such methods. It concludes that these methods: (i) allow us to particularize our definitions of replication , transfer , and calquing to inherently variable domains, and (ii) strengthen connections between variationist sociolinguistics and the fields of creolistics and language contact.