Directions in Language Contact in the Hispanic Domain

The outcomes of language contact are neither aleatoric nor chaotic, as the processes & mechanisms governing such situations are mostly predictable & governed by the configuration of forces & the "balance of power" between the dominant (high prestige) & dominated (low prestige) varieties that are exposed to mutual contact. Generally, the high prestige variety is in the position of donor rather than recipient & its marks on the low prestige variety are more pronounced than the other way around. However, the latter also leaves its marks, although not of the magnitude & strength with which the dominant language is capable of influencing the language mixing trade-off. These theses are illustrated, drawing on studies published on the topic, with interferences between Spanish & Mapuche in Chile; the code switching & mixing by Romanian immigrants in Spain; the Americanized Spanish of Californian Chicanos; the subjugation & elimination of autochthonous varieties in the Caribbean & Canary Islands by Spanish; & the birth of Spanish-based creoles, such as Papiamento, Palenquero, & Chamorro. Adapted from the source document