Cycles of Linguistic Change

Research Cluster Academic Year
2007
Research Cluster Project Director(s)
Elly van Gelderen, Professor, English
Description

Languages change for two reasons, language external and language internal. External reasons involve social and political changes that affect language use and internal changes are determined by the internal mechanisms of our cognitive capacities. In this research cluster, we will study the connection between internal and external factors and provide descriptions of certain cycles of change. Linguistic cycles are a perfect instance where external and internal reasons come together.