Change in language, culture and identity: lessons from small, isolated communities

Through a carefully chosen case study using innovative methodologies, this project will significantly advance our understanding of language change, language contact, and dialectology. The aims are to identify factors conditioning linguistic variation on Palmerston Island; to investigate whether these same factors have influenced historical change on the island; and to explore the relationship between cultural, social and linguistic identity. This project will lead to significant progress in our understanding of language contact and change, the unique social situations of isolated communities, and the history of this region of the Pacific.