language shift

noun

The process whereby a speech community shifts to a different language.

“Creoles, which involve a language shift, are found in communities where a pidgin language had served as a lingua franca.”

Similar
language transferlanguage replacementlanguage assimilation
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Meanings

nounlanguage shift (plural language shifts)

plural language shifts

  1. human sciencesThe process whereby a speech community shifts to a different language.

    Creoles, which involve a language shift, are found in communities where a pidgin language had served as a lingua franca.

    Synonyms: language transfer, language replacement, language assimilation

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe process whereby a speech community shifts to a different language.

Similar
language transferlanguage replacementlanguage assimilation
Also see
language assimilationlanguage replacementlanguage transfer
Cite this entry
APA

language shift. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/language%20shift

MLA

“language shift.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/language%20shift. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “language shift,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/language%20shift.

Source: language shift on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.