The scale of receptivity in Kachin contact linguistics

Abstract:

The level of acceptance or resistance to contact-induced language change varies from language to language. For example, English is known as a high borrower language in contrast to Mandarin Chinese, which is highly resistant to lexical borrowing. This paper explores the scale of receptivity in the Kachin languages, spoken in northern Burma and adjacent areas of India and China. These languages are spoken by the Kachin people, who are linguistically diverse people speaking several distinct Tibeto-Burman languages that are not always close with each other. In this multilingual society, Jinghpaw serves as a lingua franca, having an impact on other languages. This paper aims to show that the receptivity toward Jinghpaw is not monolithic, greatly varying from language to language based on convergent features from phonology, morphosyntax, and lexico-semantics.