The handbook of language contact Language contact is a dynamic area of contemporary linguistic research that studies how language changes when speakers of different languages interact. Accessibly structured into three sections The Handbook of Language Contact explores the role of contact studies within the field of linguistics the value of contact studies for language change research and the relevance of language contact for sociolinguistics. This authoritative volume presents original findings and fresh research directions from an international team of prominent experts. Thirty seven specially commissioned chapters cover a broad range of topics and case studies of contact from around the world. Now in its second edition this valuable reference has been extensively updated with new chapters on topics including globalization language acquisition creolization code switching and genetic classification. Fresh case studies examine Romance Indo European African Mayan and many other languages in both the past and the present. Addressing the major issues in the field of language contact studies