35 Syntactic complexity in Standard Average European: language contact and discourse traditions in the domain of communicative distance
Bert Cornillie
This chapter argues that the origins of Standard Average European (SAE) are intimately related to Eastern-influenced Biblical Latin and Germanic-influenced Carolingian Latin. Both medieval varieties combine contact patterns with grammatical complexity in highly prestigious textual traditions. Classical impacted later, as some vernaculars turned into national standard languages a whole repertoire linguistic expressions linked communicative distance. Normative traditions institutional prestige (e. g. Academies) further motivate protect legacy. Thus, features spread even periphery SAE at later stage. Overall, it is shown areal language only partially due migrations largely textually motivated.
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