2811: Substrates Aug 31, 2024

In linguistics, a substrate is the influence of a language that was originally spoken in a region on the language that eventually replaced it. This often happens when a population shifts from their native language (the substrate) to a new, dominant language (the superstrate), but retains certain linguistic features from their original language. These features can include vocabulary, sounds, syntax / grammar and are often a result of conquest or simply regular migration where speakers of the original language adopt the dominant one.

It is typical both on an individual level, and also on a demographic level that even after migration and adoption of a new language, speakers and their descendants will maintain elements of grammar, so something like “long time; no see” and “no can do” are word-for-word translations of the Cantonese (Chinese) equivalents [the substrate here] but not feature commonly in English [the superstrate here]. This is a very small-scale example to illustrate the point, but substrates can affect a language’s whole phonetic inventory, use of vocabulary, or even lead to the loss—or occasionally addition of—morphology.

Determining substrate influences involves looking for features in a language that don’t fit its typical patterns and can’t be explained by contact with related languages. Linguists use historical records, archaeological evidence, and comparisons with reconstructed forms of the original substrate language to identify these influences. By analyzing these patterns, linguists can reveal how languages evolve and how historical shifts in population and power are reflected in modern languages.