Sociocultural Dimensions of Language Change focuses on the influence of sociocultural terms on the forms of languages.The selection first underscores the sociocultural dimensions of language change and language evolution and speech style. Discussions focus on the relation of speech style and language evolution, linguistic evidence of language evolution, autonomy of code and style, language contact phenomena, and extension of the concept of language. The book then takes a look at speech and social prestige in the Belizian speech community; Japanese numeral classifiers; and speculations on the growth of ethnobotanical nomenclature. Topics include appearance of varietal names, differentiation and formation of specific names, six universal categories of ethnobotanical nomenclature, salience of speech, and prestige, social success, and language.The publication elaborates on color categorization in West Futunese; creolization and syntactic change in New Guinea Tok Pisin; relexification processes in Philippine Creole Spanish; and the historical and sociocultural aspects of the distribution of linguistic variants in highland Chiapas, Mexico.The selection is a valuable source of data for language experts and researchers interested in the sociocultural dimensions of language change.

¿List of ContributorsPrefaceForeword: Sociocultural Dimensions of Language ChangeIntroduction: Sociocultural Dimensions of Language Change Background Extension of the Concept of Language Language Variation Language Contact Phenomena Evolution of Language Autonomy of Code and Style Future Perspectives ReferencesLanguage Evolution and Speech Style "Elaborated" versus "Restricted" Speech Style Language Evolution-Linguistic Evidence Relation of Speech Style and Language Evolution Conclusion Notes ReferencesSpeech and Social Prestige in the Belzian Speech Community Introduction The Language Situation The Salience of Speech Prestige, Social Success, and Language Summary and Conclusion ReferencesLanguage Acquisition and Language Change: Japanese Numerical Classifiers ReferencesSpeculations on the Growth of Ethnobotanical Nomenclature Introduction The Six Universal Categories of Ethnobotanical Nomenclature Reality of Natural Groupings of Organisms Primacy of Generic Names Differentiation and Generalization: The Appearance of Specific and Major Life Form Names Differentiation and the Formation of Specific Names Rise of Major Life-Form Names Appearance of Varietal Names The Problem of Intermediate Taxa Linguistic Recognition of'Plant' Ethnozoological Parallels An Aside Concerning Nomenclatural Devolution Conclusions ReferencesColor Categorization in West Futunese: Variability and Change ReferencesCreolization and Syntactic Change in New Guinea Tok Pisin Background Theoretical Issues in Depidginization Two Syntactic Changes in Progress Parallels and Generalizations Notes ReferencesRecent Relexification Processes in Philippine Creole Spanish Introduction Creoles Philippine Creole Spanish Recent and Current Lexical Change Summary Notes ReferencesLexical Expansion within a Closed Systems Incoining Calquing Tonalizing Reduplicating Semantic Extension Notes ReferencesFinnish in America: A Case Study in Monogenerational Language Change ReferencesHistorical and Sociocultural Aspects of the Distribution of Linguistic Variants in Highland Chiapas, Mexico The Dialect Survey Analysis of Data Historical Development of Tzeltal and Tzotzil Dialects of Tzotzil Dialects of Tzeltal Patterns of Distribution ReferencesA Western Apache Writing System: The Symbols of Silas John Methodological Problems Development of the Writing System Description of the Writing System Meaning of the Symbols Coding of Nonverbal Behavior Summary and Conclusion Notes ReferencesNew Insights into the Nature of Language Change Offered by Language Planning ReferencesLanguage Creativity and the Psychotherapy Relationship ReferencesIndex