The problems of convergence and divergence in present day linguistics
Abstract
AbstractPresent Day linguistics is rich in tendencies and schools. Formation and development of the anthropological paradigm and its leading position promised much to explain the problems related to how languages change, why do the languages change, what are the main causes of language changes, what is the role of internal and extralinguistic factors in language change? Convergence and Divergence are two main mutually related terms denoting the process of language development from two different angles. The author states, that there are two aspects of convergence: a) glottogonic, dealing with the formation and development of the language; b) structural-diachronic aspect, dealing with diachronical aspect of linguistic structures. Glottogonic convergence is the formation and development of the common structural features in the genetically related or non-related languages as a result of the long-termed and intensive contacts. The author points out, that the linguists distinguish two types of convergence: a) contact-based convergence; b) substratum-based convergence. The closing part of the article deals with the lexical, morphological and phonological types of divergence and convergence as illustrated with the materials from the ancient Germanic languages and the corresponding forms in Gothic, Scandinavian, Latin and common Indo-European.