Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 February 2026
This chapter analyses contact-induced morpho-syntactic developments that are caused either by individual features of the German variety spoken on arrival or triggered by the contact variety. The first two sections analyse the development of periphrastic constructions such as the tun-periphrasis and the development of progressive constructions in contact with English. It is demonstrated that the tun-periphrasis, which is stigmatized in Standard German, is used in different functions in the extraterritorial varieties and even develops a new function in Barossa German, namely the marking of habitual past. Another periphrastic construction, the am-periphrasis, which is grammaticalized in the German-related variety of Pennsylvania German to express progressive aspect, does not exhibit a similar grammaticalization process in other German-English contact settings. A third section provides an example of constructions that emerge through language contact. This is illustrated by the development of the possessive-s construction in different varieties of German in contact with English. The contact-induced grammaticalization process is elucidated from a construction grammar perspective. A final section identifies general prerequisites for restructuring and emergent constructions based on the phenomena analyzed in this chapter, most notably the availability of a replicable construction in the variety of origin and the existence of suitable gateway constructions.
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