What is language contact? How and why does it occur? Brittany Hause, a DPhil candidate in Linguistics will explain this phenomenon through a Spanish poem 'Amor de un campestre' – A Rustic's Love – by Bolivian writer Pedro Rivas. The use of regionally specific vocabulary that characterises the piece illustrates several of the effects of language contact, which continue to distinguish the variety of Spanish spoken in Santa Cruz from other varieties heard today in Bolivia and around the world.

Brittany is preparing an article on language contact for Volume 11 of St Anne's Academic Review. Prior to Oxford, Brittany lived and worked in Bolivia, the USA, and South Korea. They hold an MPhil in Linguistics from Oxford, and a Bachelors degree in English, Italian and Spanish from Florida State University. Brittany is also an active member of the student community at St Anne’s, previously MCR Welfare Officer, and now Editor of Spark Reviews for STAAR. 

Enjoy hearing Brittany in conversation with STAAR Humanities Editor, Erin Nickalls about her article and research on language contact.