GROUP H: Historical
Aspects of Multilingualism and
Variance
Coordinator: Kurt Braunmüller
Preliminary remark: The eight
projects in this group (H1, H3, H5, H6, H8 and H 9 as well as K4 and K8) have
emerged from groups H and K respectively for the SFB’s third phase. The
H-Projects H8 and H9 are new. Due to numerous commonalities in content and in
order to further improve cooperation between the individual projects, these two
groups were joined to build one large group for the last phase (2008–2011).
The
collective objective of the projects united in group H is to work together
closely on the following fields of work:
- We
aim to determine to what extent the grammatical systems of genetically
closely related languages interpolate as a result of alternating use by
bilinguals, whether or not languages are mixed and what consequences
genetic closeness has for the typological development of contact
languages. This is the main point of interest in projects H6 and K8, with
project H3 also being concerned with these questions. Results from K4 show
that genetic relations promote English influence on German texts. Further
results in the fields of phonetics and phonology are expected from project
H9.
- Further,
we will investigate morpho-syntactical phenomena occurring when languages that
are only remotely related in genetic terms collide in contact situations.
The main research focus addresses in what way universal and typological parameters
lead to convergences or potentially to divergences and new varieties. The
new project H8 will be able to base its work on the detailed
preliminary work from projects H1, H5 and H3. The diversity of theoretical
and methodical approaches does admittedly lead to partly differing
predictions concerning the role of language contact in processes of
language change. Using this as a positive synergy-effect, however, helps
to sharpen the respective argumentation.
- Up
until now, the often overlying role of a lingua franca has only been
researched insufficiently. The intensive studies of project K4 (dealing
with English) serve as a starting point for studies that intend to show
whether the results can be translated to previous language conditions and
constellations. This aspect will also be examined in H3 for Latin.
- In
cooperation with the projects of group E, we intend to explore in what way
these results concerning former language contact situations correspond
with research in bilingual language acquisition. This will particularly concern
projects H1, H5, H6 and H9 with the addition of H8. A common basis for
historical and present-time multilingualism research will thus be ensured.
After all, it is not reasonable to posit something concerning the past
which we know cannot be proved through the study of present language contact
situations.
- Cooperation
with two of the transfer projects, T1 and T3, is already in progress. These are
concerned with varieties (of English) and the realization of multilingual
communication in business, respectively. Both have counterparts in the historical
field, with a transfer thus occurring in both directions.
Projects in this group:
H1: Multilingualism as Cause and Effect of Language Change:
Historical Syntax of Romance Languages
(Jürgen M. Meisel & Esther Rinke)
H3: Scandinavian
Syntax in a Multilingual Setting (Kurt Braunmüller)
H5: Hiberno-English: Variation and Universals in
Contact-Induced Language Change
(Peter Siemund)
H6: Phono-prosodic development of Catalan in its
current bilingual context (Conxita Lleó)
H8: Current Polish-German Bilingualism in Germany
(Bernhard Brehmer)
H9: The Intonation of Spanish in Argentina
(Christoph Gabriel)
K4: Covert Translation
(Juliane House)
K8: Variation
in Multilingualism on the Faroe Islands (Kurt Braunmüller)
