ABSTRACT
What happens when several languages are in long-term contact with one another? Chapter 9 explores how languages can become more similar to one another through prolonged contact. This is captured by the term “linguistic area.” The most well-known linguistic area is the Balkans, but more recently several authors have drawn attention to the existence of numerous linguistic areas around the world, as in North America, Amazonia, West Africa, Anatolia, South-East Asia, and Melanesia.
