* Reduced Contact: Isolated language communities have less contact with other speakers of the same language or related languages. This reduces the opportunities for:
* Borrowing: Taking words or grammatical structures from other languages.
* Standardization: The process of a language becoming more uniform across different regions.
* Convergence: Languages becoming more similar through contact and interaction.
* Internal Language Evolution: Without the pressure of external influences, languages evolve more freely based on their own internal dynamics. This can lead to:
* Sound Changes: Pronunciation shifts that alter the way words are spoken.
* Grammatical Innovations: Changes in the structure of sentences and word order.
* Vocabulary Development: Unique words and expressions emerge to describe local experiences and concepts.
* Dialect Divergence: Isolation can lead to the development of distinct dialects or even separate languages. Without constant contact, different groups may experience different internal language changes, leading to greater divergence.
Examples:
* Island Languages: Languages spoken on isolated islands often show unique features due to limited contact with mainland languages.
* Indigenous Languages: Many indigenous languages have evolved in isolation, resulting in diverse and complex grammatical structures and vocabularies.
* Creole Languages: Creoles, which often develop in situations of contact between speakers of different languages, can undergo significant changes after becoming isolated from the source languages.
Important Note: While isolation is a significant factor, other influences like migration, contact with other languages, and cultural changes also play crucial roles in language change.