Offers an interesting insight into how language contact affects grammatical forms and structures.

Bernd Heine is Professor of African Studies in the Institute for African Studies, University of Cologne.

List of maps; List of tables; Series editor's foreword; Preface; List of abbreviations; 1. The framework; 2. On replicating use patterns; 3. Grammaticalization; 4. Typological change; 5. On linguistic areas; 6. Limits of replication; 7. Conclusions; 8. Notes; References; Index of authors; Index of languages; Index of subjects.