ABSTRACT
As language communities come into contact in a multilingual world, the need arises for bilingualism, translation and the use of lingua francas. Proximity, necessity and convenience also lead to borrowing and interpenetration among languages. Also, however, it is quite apparent that languages in contact can become languages in conflict. The force of circumstance-‘natural’ or contrived-can cause a group to abandon its original language for another; ‘big’ languages like English or French or Spanish can push smaller ones around and can contribute to their demise, and competition can exist among smaller varieties as they jostle for position, sometimes in the shade of an acknowledged and seemingly unassailable giant. If we are to study the contact, competition and conflict among languages and language varieties, and if we are, further, to consider the reasons behind these phenomena-and their relationships with, and influences upon, social life and group identity-it might be useful to begin by looking at evaluative reactions of a rather more decontextualized nature.
