Chapter 3 discusses the key methodological and theoretical issues relevant for Balkan linguistics as a specific manifestation of complex language contact. On the one hand, other proposed linguistic areas are discussed, such as Amazonia, Araxes-Iran, the Caucasus, Ethiopia, Mainland Southeast Asia, Meso-America, the Northwest Coast of North America, and parts of Papua New Guinea and Australia. In that regard, the Balkans represent not only the most studied such case but also the most studiable, in that of all the sprachbunds that have been discussed in the literature, the Balkans offer the greatest amount of, and the longest time-depth for, information on the linguistic history of the area, the social history of the peoples in the region, and relevant reconstructible linguistic prehistory. On the other hand, mechanisms of, and relevant factors for, contact-induced change are presented, including multilingualism, interference, accommodation, simplification, pidginization and creolization, code-switching, borrowing, calquing, and language ideology. Further, other methodologies, including the Comparative Method, linguistic geography, and typological assessments offer additional sources of information for both Balkan linguistic prehistory and Balkan dialectology.