Generational Variation in Language Convergence: Lexical and Syntactic Change in Dai Lue Under Chinese Influence
Issued Date
2026-01-01
Resource Type
eISSN
2226471X
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105028920169
Journal Title
Languages
Volume
11
Issue
1
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Languages Vol.11 No.1 (2026)
Suggested Citation
Yan N., Suraratdecha S., Yurayong C. Generational Variation in Language Convergence: Lexical and Syntactic Change in Dai Lue Under Chinese Influence. Languages Vol.11 No.1 (2026). doi:10.3390/languages11010003 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/114435
Title
Generational Variation in Language Convergence: Lexical and Syntactic Change in Dai Lue Under Chinese Influence
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Abstract
This study examines lexical and syntactic convergence between Dai Lue and Chinese in the multilingual environment of Sipsongpanna, employing an apparent-time approach across three generational cohorts (N = 90, balanced gender). Through mixed-methods analysis (structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews), significant diachronic variation was observed. Younger speakers exhibited pronounced convergence, adopting Chinese-derived syntactic patterns (e.g., prenominal quantifiers and preverbal adjunct phrases) and borrowing Chinese lexical elements (e.g., an adverb sɛn<sup>55</sup> ‘first’ ← Chinese 先 xiān, and a superlative marker tsui<sup>35</sup> ‘most/best’ ← Chinese 最 zuì). Middle-aged speakers use transitional hybrid structures, while older speakers more consistently maintain native Dai Lue features. The results conform with Labov’s age-grading model in contact linguistics and refine Thomason’s borrowing hierarchy by revealing two factors: First, the prestige of the Chinese language drives convergence among youth. Second, syntactic compatibility with Chinese is mediated not merely by language structure, but by discourse-pragmatic needs, functional load redistribution, and the social indexicality of borrowed structures. This underscores the interplay between sociolinguistic motivations and structural-adaptive constraints in language change. The findings provide critical insights into language contact mechanisms among ethnic minorities of China, with implications for sociolinguistic theory, language revitalization efforts, and bilingual education policy implementation in linguistically diverse communities.