Emerging bilingual speech

"This monograph offers a new perspective on how a previously monolingual community of Russian-speakers in Estonia is rapidly becoming bilingual after the end of the Soviet occupation in 1991. The contact-induced change in Russian under the growing impact of Estonian is analyzed in the theoretical framework of code-copying. The changes in linguistic behavior of the speakers are often a result of intentional cultivation of non-monolingual communication strategies and go hand in hand with the development of a new identity: Estonian Russians." "This fascinating study will be of interest to researchers studying language contact, language change and bilingualism."--BOOK JACKET.