How unique is the linguistic situation of endangered language speakers?

Abstract

[Excerpt] The epistemological paper by Grenoble and Osipov (2023, henceforth G&O) focusing on linguistic effects of bilingualism in language shift ecologies reports “multiple kinds of variation in these endangered language communities” (p.1). According to the authors, the variation found in these languages is the result of the dynamics of language ecologies: “language choices and preferences change, as do speakers’ proficiency levels”. We would like to pick up on this topic by showing that the linguistic variation reported by G&O for different groups of speakers of endangered languages, in particular of Even and Sakha, is also typical in other bilingual populations. We will exemplify this by reporting the results of some studies with child L2 learners, returnees, and heritage speakers focusing on German word order. We argue that similar factors influence the linguistic competence of bilingual speakers, independent of the concrete sociolinguistic or political situation of the language community. Concretely, we assume that linguistic variation found in bilingual populations is determined by specific factors shaping the acquisition of the respective language(s), which comprise, on the one hand, extra-linguistic variables such as age of onset of acquisition (AO), amount and type of input received in early childhood, literacy, and, on the other hand, linguistic constraints, for instance, the complexity and timing of acquisition of certain linguistic phenomena. These factors are relevant for all bilingual (and even monolingual) acquisi tion settings, even though to varying extent and importance. [...]