Language Complexity in Historical Perspective: The Enduring Tropes of Natural Growth and Abnormal Contact
Focusing on the work of John McWhorter and, to a lesser extent, Peter Trudgill, this paper critically examines some common themes in language complexity research from the perspective of intellectual history. The present-day conception that increase in language complexity is somehow a “natural” proce...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-04-01
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Series: | Frontiers in Communication |
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Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2021.621712/full |