Erich Steiner

Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken

Language Contact and Multilinguality – exploring an SFL-inspired perspective

In this paper, we would like to outline an SFL-perspective on situations of language contact and multilinguality, adding some implications for notions of “literacy” in situations of multilinguality.

In a first step towards a clarification of terms, our focus will be on the notions of “language contact” and of “multilinguality” as they have been studied in linguistics in general (cf. Oesterreicher 2001) . This will be followed by an outline of what a specifically SFL-oriented perspective would imply in terms of methodology and of domain (cf. Halliday and Matthiessen 1999; Teich 2003). Our main argument will be that such a perspective would give due consideration to systems alongside structures, to the instance alongside the system, and to more abstract (and at the same time, more empirical) types of contrast than have often been in the centre of theorizing (cf. Steiner in press).

In a second step, the SFL-perspective outlined above will be exemplified and possible methods will be discussed. It will also be argued that language contact along the channels of system, instance and contrast is the process through which ultimately socio-cultural motivations drive language change.

Finally, some implications for notions of (il)literacy in situations of language contact and multilinguality will be raised. Among such implications are:

• that “what wasn’t been said, but could have been” is as important for understanding, as what was actually said;

• what gets into contact is not abstract systems, but socio-culturally situated people interacting through discourses;

• the way how influence is created is often through relative frequencies, changes in “markedness”, directness and explicitness, rather than through directly changing categories themselves.

Being “literate” in situations of language contact and multilinguality would thus mean developing an awareness of and competence and orientation towards such processes – in other words, respecting multilinguality and variation as the norm, rather than as a problematic exception.

References:

Halliday, M.A.K. and C.M.I.M. Matthiessen. 1999. Construing Experience Through Meaning. A Language-Based Approach to Cognition. London: Cassell.

Haspelmath, M.; König E., Oesterreicher, W. and Raible, W. (eds.) 2001. Language Typology and Language Universals. [Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft 20.1. und 20.2.] Berlin, New York: Mouton De Gruyter.

Oesterreicher, W. 2001. „Historizität – Sprachvariation, Sprachverschiedenheit, Sprachwandel“. in: Haspelmath et al. (eds.) 2001. Vol. 2. 1554 – 1596

Steiner, E. in press. Some properties of texts in terms of ‘information distribution’ across languages. In: Languages in Contrast.

Teich, E. 2003. Cross-linguistic Variation in System and Text – A Methodology for the Investigation of Translations and Comparable Texts. Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter.