Social and structural aspects of language contact and change
Résumé
Chapter 1
Social and structural aspects of language
contact and change
Bettina Migge
University of Dublin
Shelome Gooden
University of Pittsburgh
Research on language contact, sociolinguistics and language description (of less
widely studied languages) are often treated as independent lines of investigation
that at best intersect peripherally. One of the people who have excelled in showing
that there is a close link between these lines of research and that studying linguistic
phenomena always involves paying attention to all of them is Donald Winford. His
tireless and proactive research, both individual and collaborative, and mentoring of
a broad range of scholars, have significantly contributed to current understandings
about analytical frameworks, notions and types of data required in these areas and
beyond. Being very humble about his work, the significance of Don’s contribution
and the breadth and depth of his knowledge is often at least in part underestimated
and requires far more attention than it currently has. Don’s work charts important
research agendas and avenues that remain to be further explored in more detail.
The first part of this introduction provides a broad overview of Don’s career and his
contribution to research. The second part briefly summarizes the research papers
in this volume that were written in his honor by his colleagues and students, offer
insights into Don’s work applied to new contexts. Part three is a reflection on his
life, work, teaching and mentorship from colleagues and students. The final part
contains a bibliography of his work.