Principles of language dispersal in past vs. contemporary East Asian countryside
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | This paper analyzes basic evolutionary changes in the form and types of language contact and dispersal in traditional East Asian communities. It mainly compares substantial changes between preliterary period and modern development. While preliterary and early literary periods (= A) were connected to the influence of religious institutions, the modern period (= B) is shaped by growing globalization. Ad A) The following principles can by analyzed for preliterary and early literary period: 1) Language contact and language spread were shaped and influenced by co-evolution of religious and ruling elites. 2) East Asian development was in the name of continental spread of Indian culture. 3) Besides diffusion of large religious systems, their regional adaptations, and emergence of local varieties, there was a prevalence of local societal / clan structures with their more dominant cultural habits and customary law supporting local linguistic diversity. Ad B) 4) In the conditions of contemporary globalized world, the spread of languages is not dominantly influenced by religious elites even though Indian culture represents a world-wide transcontinental phenomenon. 5) New media and distant forms of communication are influencing the patterns of language dispersal and change. 6) While the role of mother tongue(s) and its interaction with older layer of ritual habits and customs still continues, there is a growing impact of national languages of the capital representing a new layer slightly suppressing the process of linguistic diversification even in the countryside. |
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