The Sociolinguistics of Migration. The Dynamics of dialect contact in Georgia

Abstract

This study explores the sociolinguistic impact of internal migration in Georgia, focusing on the transformation, reconstruction and replication of dialectal networks. Drawing on extensive field data, it examines how migration disrupts original linguistic communities and fosters new dialectal constellations. The paper introduces the concepts of sociolinguistic network deconstruction and replication to illustrate how dialects resist or adapt to linguistic assimilation. It discusses dialect 'self-assertion' in response to contact, and how even minimal lexical or phonetic features are preserved for identity maintenance. By analysing language islands within and outside Georgia, the paper highlights the parallels between forced and voluntary migration. The empirical evidence confirms that naive linguistic awareness plays a crucial role in shaping dialect boundaries and resisting assimilation, and that migration not only reshapes language use, but also redefines social identities and cultural memory in both areas of origin and destination.