This book highlights the complexity of contact-induced language change throughout the history of English.

1. Introduction: nothing but a contact language ... Marianne Hundt and Daniel Schreier; 2. The role of contact in English syntactic change in the Old and Middle English periods Olga Fischer; 3. Multilingualism and code-switching as mechanisms of contact-induced lexical change in late Middle English Herbert Schendl; 4. The contact origins of Standard English Laura Wright; 5. English as a contact language in the British Isles Juhani Klemola; 6. English as a contact language in Ireland and Scotland Raymond Hickey; 7. The contact dynamics of socioethnic varieties in North America Walt Wolfram; 8. English as a contact language: the 'New Englishes' Edgar W. Schneider; 9. English as a contact language: lesser-known varieties Daniel Schreier; 10. The role of mundane mobility and contact in dialect death and dialect birth David Britain; 11. The diversification of English: old, new and emerging epicenters Marianne Hundt; 12. Driving forces in English contact linguistics Salikoko S. Mufwene; 13. Substrate influence and universals in the emergence of contact Englishes: reevaluating the evidence Donald Winford; 14. Transfer and contact in migrant and multiethnic communities: the conversational historical be + -ing present in South African Indian English Rajend Mesthrie; 15. English as a contact language: the role of children and adolescents Paul Kerswill, Jenny Cheshire, Sue Fox and Eivind Torgersen; 16. Innovation and contact: the role of adults (and children) Sarah G. Thomason; 17. Accelerator or inhibitor? On the role of substrate influence in interlanguage development Terence Odlin; 18. Speculating on the future of English as a contact language Christian Mair.