Maintenance and change in language contact: The case of anglo-norman

Abstract

This paper presents analyses of contact effects and non-effects in later Anglo-Norman (A-N), a child L2 variety probably acquired in an immersion scenario from about age 5. Analyses are presented of a range of linguistic variables in which contact influence on A-N from English could have taken place in the form of divergence from mainstream Old French towards discrete formal patterns existing in the L1, Middle English. Results show a remarkable split between heavy contact effects in phonology, and extremely limited contact effects in syntax. Anglo-Norman lost vowel contrasts from Old French not attested in Middle English and did not gain new phonemic patterns entering later Old French. In formal syntax, however, it showed virtually no influence from English, as regards word order and grammatical category distinctions, and followed French syntactic innovations. Some contact influence from English nevertheless appeared where syntax interfaced with semantics, specifically in negation and aspectual distinctions. The contrast observed between such contact effects at the syntax-semantics interface, and the resistance to contact influence of ‘narrow syntax’, comports with similar contact (non-)effects on Judeo-Spanish.