Codeswitching and language change: One thing leads to another?

Abstract

This article introduces the topic of and the contributions to this Special Issue of the International Journal of Bilingualism. It explores the degree to which the hypothesis that codeswitching is a cause of contact-induced language change makes sense. After reviewing a number of methodological conditions that need to be met before the question can even be tackled, I provide an overview of theories proposed to account for structural change in contact situations (Croft, Johanson, Thomason), pointing out commonalities and differences. The article concludes with an attempt to classify attested contact-induced changes on the basis of these theories, and finally revisits the question to what degree codeswitching can cause change.