Joachim Steffen - Böcker

Spanish has been and is in contact with a large number of languages virtually all over the world. Given the vast complexity of studies existing in this field, the handbook is the first one in providing an exhaustive state-of-the-art synthesis of the research on contact phenomena. By taking into account diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives – including approaches from applied linguistics – the handbook will also be of interest to all scholars of language contact, especially since it examines the same language in a wide variety of contact ecologies. These include the use of Spanish on its way to vernacularization in regions with other autochthonous languages as well as its use in border settings or in transnational migration dynamics. The exceptionally well documented history of the language allows for unique perspectives on diachronic aspects of contact. Special attention is also paid to new varieties that lie outside the ‘architecture’ of Spanish as a ‘historical language’, i.e. creoles and mixed languages at various stages of development. With more than 100 chapters written by eminent experts, the two volumes provide a comprehensive overview of the research field and starting points for further investigation.