Substraatrepresentatie

Substraatrepresentatie is a term used in linguistics to denote the representation of substrate influence in a language, particularly in contexts of language contact. It describes how features from a substrate language—historically present or subordinate to a dominant superstrate language—are encoded in the target language's grammar, phonology, or lexicon. The concept is used to discuss both mental representations in speakers and observable patterns in language structure.

In practice, substraatrepresentatie can cover several levels: phonological features that affect pronunciation and sound systems; syntactic patterns such as word order, agreement, or case marking; and lexical items or semantic notions that enter the grammar.

The term appears mainly in Dutch-language linguistics and sociolinguistics, in discussions of language contact, bilingualism, and creolization. It is often presented as a way to describe how substrate influence manifests in the mental grammars of language users or in the emergent grammar of a contact variety.

Examples are often hypothetical in discussions; researchers describe scenarios where substrate features appear in the target language's structures, such as a substrate-driven tendency toward particular word-order patterns, or the retention of phonotactic constraints from the substrate in loanwords or bilingual speech.

Criticism notes that substraatrepresentatie can be difficult to distinguish from processes like borrowing or diffusion, and that empirical evidence for stable, distinct representations is debated. Some researchers emphasize social use and community norms as drivers of observed patterns.

See also: substrate, language contact, creolization, substrate influence, linguistic representation.