Language border

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A language border (also language boundary) is the line separating two language areas. The term is generally meant to imply a lack of mutual intelligibility between the two languages. If two adjacent languages or dialects are mutually intelligible, no firm border will develop, because the two languages can continually exchange linguistic inventions; this is known as a dialect continuum. Since mutual intelligibility is somewhat of a vague concept, it cannot always be decided if a language border exists between two language areas.

A well-known example of a language border is the border between Romance languages and Germanic languages that stretches through Belgium, France, Switzerland, and Italy.

A language-island is a language area that is completely surrounded by a language border.

[edit] See also

• Isogloss
• Linguistic geography
• Adstratum